226 THE FUR COUNTRY. out him, taking Madge with her. There was fliUy nothing to fear, the only formidable animals, the bears, seemed to have quite de- serted the island after the earthquake ; and two women might, with- out danger, venture on a walk of a few hours without an escort. Madge agreed at once to Mrs Barnett's proposal, and without a word to any one they set out at eight o'clock a.m., provided with an ice-chisel, a flask of spirits, and a wallet of provisions. After leaving Cape Bathurst they turned to the west. The sun was already dragging its slow course along the horizon, for at this time of year it would only be a few degrees above it at its culmina- tion. But its oblique rays were clear and powerful, and the snow was already melting here and there beneath their influence. The coast was alive with flocks of birds of many kinds ; ptarmigans, guillemots, puffins, wild geese, and ducks of every variety fluttered about, uttering their various cries, skimming the surface of the sea or of the lagoon, according as their tastes led them to prefer salt or fresh water. Mrs Barnett had now a capital opportunity of seeing how many furred animals haunted the neighbourhood of Fort Hope. Martens, ermines, musk-rats, and foxes were numerous, and the magazines of the factory might easily have been filled with their skins, but what good would that be now ? The inoff'ensive creatures, knowing that hunting was suspended, went and came fearlessly, venturing close up to the palisade, and becoming tamer every day. Their instinct doubtless told them that they and their old enemies were alike prisoners on the island, and a common danger bound them together. It struck Mrs Barnett as strange that the two enthusi- astic hunters — Marbre and Sabine — should obey the Lieutenant's orders to spare the furred animals without remonstrance or com- plaint, and appeared not even to wish to shoot the valuable game around them. It was true the foxes and others had not yet assumed their winter robes, but this was not enough to explain the strange indifference of the two hunters. Whilst walking at a good pace and talking over their strange situation, Mrs Barnett and Madge carefully noted the peculiarities of the sandy coast. The ravages recently made by the sea were distinctly visible. Fresh landslips enabled them to see new fractures in the ice distinctly. The strand, fretted away in many places, had sunk to an enormous extent, and the waves washed along a level beach where the perpendicular shores had once checked their ad-
