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

AWAY IN THE WILDERNESS.
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“We shall see, lad ; we shall see,” replied La¬
roche, with a pleased smile ; for the old guide
evidently enjoyed the prospect of spending the
evening of life in the land of his fathers, and under
the roof-tree of his son and daughter.
At that moment the report of a gun was heard
outside the house. One of the window panes was
smashed and at the same instant Laroche fell
heavily forward on the floor.
Jasper sprang up and endeavoured to raise him,
but found that he was insensible. He laid him
carefully on his back, and hastily opened the breast
of his coat. A few drops of blood showed where he
had been wounded. Meanwhile several of the
men who had been attracted by the gunshot so
close to the house burst into the room.
“ Stand back, stand back, give him air,” cried
Jasper; “ stay, 0 God help us! the old man is
shot clean through the heart!”
For one moment Jasper looked up with a be¬
wildered glance in the faces of the men, then,
uttering a wild cry of mingled rage and agony, he
sprang up, dashed them aside, and catching up his
gun and snow-shoes rushed out of the house.
He soon found a fresh track in the snow, and
the length of the stride, coupled with the manner
in which the snow was cast aside, and the smaller
bushes were broken and trodden down, told him
that the fugitive had made it. In a moment he