The Gaunt Gray Wolf: A Tale of Adventure With Ungava Bob

e trees that marked the edge of the forest bordering Eskimo Bay. Dark cloud patches scudding across the sky, now and again obscured the fac

and by force of habit stood with his left hand resting upon the tiller

eemed ever alert and observant. Exposure to sun and wind had tanned his naturally fair skin a rich bronze, and his thick, dark-brown h

a supply of steel traps and other equipment preparatory to his next winter's campaign upon the trapping trails of the

en vision might have passed it unnoticed, or seeing it have supposed it belated debris cast into the bay by the rivers, for the spring floods had hardly yet fully subsided. But Bob's training

ight? An' Injuns never crosses where this un be. I'll see, now, who it is, an' what he's up to, wha

orld, and by actual investigation he must needs satisfy himself of its meaning. This is not idle curiosity, but an instinct born of n

h a nearer approach he observed the stroke

too, that only some extraordinary mission could have called one of them abroad so late in the evening, and particul

was not a birch bark, the only sort of canoe in use in the Bay by either Indians or white natives. The ca

iscovered his approach, when a black cloud passed over the face of the moon, plunging the sea into

nd fast to the stern of his boat, grasped the coil in his right hand, and, tense

ead, and an instant later saw Shad rise to the surface,

g the distance to a nicety, deftly cast the line directly across th

un f

a thwart and secure it before Bob, drawing alongside, caught him by the collar of his shirt and hauled him aboard the boat. Seizing the oars again, and pulling safely free from d

el shirt, from which he coolly proceeded to wring, as thoro

spoke until Shad had readjusted his shirt, whe

m wet

've been in the Bay, and the b

eed Bob, "

prisingl

s wonderf

grateful to you for

r canoe founders, or I'm thinkin'

or stick it out long in there," said Shad, waving his arm toward the dar

Providence. 'Twere th' Lord

where did you drop from? I didn't see you t

t knowin' who 'twere, I sails close in till I makes you out

op the way you did, and then haul me aboard before I knew what you were about--you kept your head beautifully,

, not quite certain

a youngst

ch resented the imputation of extreme youth.

My name's Trowbridge--Shad Trowbridge, from Boston. What is

lf Bight," said Bob,

Bob?" excl

e Ungava Bob here-

y way to Wolf Bi

ee me

o trappers named Blake and Matheson, and they told me about

with y

and Matheson suggested that you might have two or three weeks to spare and coul

ounds th' first o' August t' be gone th' winter, an'--I'm thinkin' I

cide now. We'll tal

aching into a locker under his seat and bringing out

admitted, gratefully accepting the adick

suggested Bob. "'T

ter; I'll soon be

ay," Shad remarked, observing the shor

we'll soon be in th' lee, an' out o' danger o' th' sea smashin' she ag'in

ong point of land, where in calmer water the canoe was manoeuvred alongside, and Shad's outfit, so fortuna

noe free of water, dropped it astern, now a light and easy tow, and catching the breeze ag

little log cabin, sharply silhouetted against

into the door of the darkened cabin, where Bob lighted a candle, displaying a large square room, the uncarpeted floo

of the door, a rough stairway led to the attic, and the rear of the room was curtained off into two compartments, the spotlessly clean curtains of a pale blue and white checked print, giving

dle on the table, "but we'll put a fire on an' boil th' ket

it," said Shad, hi

asked a voice from

b, "an' I has a gentleman

'll be gettin' right

tle over," suggested a woman's voice

"It will make me feel that I am causing a l

tis no trouble at all,"

hoed the woman's voice. "'Tis too

nest welcome and hospitality tha

send out its genial warmth, had but just removed his borrowed

ther," said Bob; adding as a second th

Boston, too! I have hearn th' fishermen o' th' coast tell o' Boston more'n once, but I never were t

m causing you and Mrs. Gray no end of inc

nd. "Why, you'm wet, sir!" she exclaimed, noticing Shad's clinging garments, and her motherly instinct at on

I'm very comfortable by the fire

warm underwear, a pair of woollen socks, a flannel outer shirt, and a p

two duck's eggs," she commented, looking the two over for comparison. "Now, Bob, light a candle an' show Mr. Trow

ray," said Shad gratefull

ned no other furniture, but was beautifully clean. There was an open window at either end, one looking toward the water

have either o' th' other beds you wants. Now whilst you changes, sir, I'll bring up th' things from th' boat.

is wet garments on his arm he met the appetising odour of frying fish, which

e stove Mrs. Gray was transferring from frying-pan to platter some deliciously browned brook trout. Bob, with his father'

reaching for the wet garments on Shad's arm proceeded

u must be wonderful hungry after

pologised, as he joined Shad and Bob at the table, "but we has t' do wi'

. "We are seldom able to get them at home, an

all we gets t' eat in th' summer is trout an' salmon, a

do you get?"

s plenty of partridge in th

t not care for un," said Mrs. Gray.

tly urged him to take more trout and not to be "afraid of un," a quite unne

a fortnight's trip up th' country

country?" inq

, "a fishing and

busy makin' ready for th' t

perhaps if we talk it over to-mo

th evident relief, "we'll

outly offered thanks, after the manner

this season of the year the Labrador nights are short, and Shad, at the end of his l