able to discern a trail in the bush than he, nor could one be found his
equal at making snow shoes, carving a powder horn or fashioning any
knick-nack he was a mind to set his hand to.

The Rangers were accustomed to scout in small parties to keep the Canada
indians from coming close to Fort Edward. I had been out with Shanks on
minor occasions, but I must relate my first adventure.

A party . . . (here the writing is lost) . . . was desirous of taking a
captive or scalp. I misdoubted our going alone by ourselvs, but he said
we were as safe as with more. We went northwest slowly for two days, and
though we saw many old trails we found none which were fresh. We had
gone on until night when we lay bye near a small brook. I was awakened
by Shanks in the night and heard a great howling of wolves at some
distance off togther with a gun shot. We lay awake until daybreak and at
intervals heard a gun fired all though the night. We decided that the
firing could not come from a large party and so began to approach the
sound slowly and with the greatest caution. We could not understand why
the wolves should be so bold with the gun firing, but as we came neare
we smelled smoke and knew it was a camp-fire. There were a number of
wolves running about in the underbrush from whose actions we located the
camp. From a rise we could presently see it, and were surprised to find
it contained five Indians all lying asleep in their blankets. The wolves
would go right up to the camp and yet the indians did not deign to give
them any notice whatsoever, or even to move in the least when one wolf
pulled at the blanket of a sleeper. We each selected a man when we had
come near enough, and preparing to deliver our fire, when of a sudden
one figure rose up slightly. We nevertheless fired and then rushed
forward, reloading. To our astonishment none of the figures moved in the
least but the wolves scurried off. We were advancing cautiously when