I had not gone half the distance before I was astray.  The sun was long obscured, and a drizzling rain set in, without any direction whatever in it by the time it reached the underbrush where I was.  I had begun to make a little shelter, intending to put in a cheerless night there, when I heard a cry, and looking up caught a glimpse of Hukweem speeding high over the tree-tops.  Far down on my right came a faint answering cry, and I hastened in its direction, making an Indian compass of broken twigs as I went along.  Hukweem was a young loon, and was long in coming down.  The crying ahead grew louder.  Stirred up from their day rest by his arrival, the other loons began their sport earlier than usual.  The crying soon became almost continuous, and I followed it straight to the lake.

Once there, it was a simple matter to find the river and my old canoe waiting patiently under the alders in the gathering twilight.  Soon I was afloat again, with a sense of unspeakable relief that only one can appreciate who has been lost and now hears the ripples sing under him, knowing that the cheerless woods lie behind, and that the camp-fire beckons beyond yonder point.  The loons were hallooing far away, and I went over—­this time in pure gratitude—­to see them again.  But my guide was modest and vanished post-haste into the mist the moment my canoe appeared.

Since then, whenever I hear Hukweem in the night, or hear others speak of his unearthly laughter, I think of that cry over the tree-tops, and the thrilling answer far away.  And the sound has a ring to it, in my ears, that it never had before.  Hukweem the Night Voice found me astray in the woods, and brought me safe to a snug camp.—­That is a service which one does not forget in the wilderness.

GLOSSARY OF INDIAN NAMES.

Cheplahgan, chep-lah’-gan, the bald eagle.

Chigwooltz, chig-wooltz’, the bullfrog.

Clote Scarpe, a legendary hero, like Hiawatha, of the
                   Northern Indians.  Pronounced variously, Clote
                   Scarpe, Groscap, Gluscap, etc.

Hukweem, huk-weem’, the great northern diver, or loon.

Ismaques, iss-ma-ques’, the fish-hawk.

Kagax, kag’-ax, the weasel.

Killooleet, kil’-loo-leet, the white-throated sparrow.

Kookooskoos, koo-koo-skoos’, the great horned owl.

Lhoks, locks, the panther.

Malsun, mal’-sun, the wolf.

Meeko, meek’-o, the red squirrel.

Megaleep, meg’-a-leep, the caribou.

Milicete, mil’-i-cete, the name of an Indian tribe;
                   written also Malicete.

Moktaques, mok-ta’-ques, the hare.