Adventure and adventurers > Away in the wilderness, or, Life among the red Indians and fur-traders of North America

AWAY IN THE WILDEENESS.
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As the man and the boy stood staring at each
other, it would have been difficult to say which
opened his eyes widest with amazement. At first
Heywood fancied the urchin was a wild beast of
some sort on two legs, but a second glance con¬
vinced him that he was a real boy. The next
thought that occurred to the artist was, that he
would try to sketch him, so he clapped his hand
to his pocket, pulled out his book and pencil, and
forthwith began to draw.
This terrified the little fellow so much, that he
turned about and fled howling into the woods.
Heywood thought of giving chase, but a noise
attracted his attention at that moment, and, looking
across the river, he beheld the boy’s father in the
same cool dress as his son. The man had been
fishing, but when he saw that strangers were pass¬
ing, he threw his blanket round him, jumped into
his canoe, and crossed over to meet them.
This turned out to be a miserably poor family
of Indians, consisting of the father, mother, three
girls and a boy, and a few ill-looking dogs. They
all lived together in a little tent or wigwam, made
partly of skins and partly of birch-bark. This tent
was shaped like a cone. The fire was kindled in¬
side, in the middle of the floor. A hole in the
side served for a door, and a hole in the top did
duty for window and chimney. The family kettle
hung above the fire, and the family circle sat