He stalked on with a long, energetic stride, keeping well to the front
and maintaining a stoical silence.
Le Loutre led the way far up the Missaguash, so giving Fort Lawrence
a wide berth. Once beyond the fort he turned south, skirting the further
edge of what had been peaceful Beaubassin. At this point he led his party
into the woods, and for perhaps half an hour the journey was most painful
and exhausting. Pierre was running against trees and stumbling over
branches, and at the same time, in spite of his discomfort and the
novelty of the situation, growing more and more sleepy. The journey
began to seem to him like a dismal nightmare, from which he would soon
awaken to find himself in his narrow but cosy bunk at home.
Suddenly he was startled by the half-human cry of the panther, which
sounded as if in the treetops right overhead. "Is that a signal?"
inquired one of the startled travelers, while Pierre drew closer to
his nearest comrade.
"It's a signal that Monsieur Loup Cervier wants his supper, and would
be quite willing to make it off a fat Acadian!" replied the abbe with
a grim laugh.
The party upon this began to talk and laugh aloud, which probably daunted
the animal, for nothing more was heard of him. In the course of another
ten minutes a light was seen glowing through the trees, and immediately
the abbe hooted thrice, imitating perfectly the note of the little
Acadian owl. This signal was answered from the neighborhood of the fire,
whereupon the abbe gave the strange, resonant cry of the bittern.
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