In the daytime ravens wheeled and croaked about the outskirts of the town, bearing the shadow of the woods on their plumes and of the north-wind in the somber quality of their voices; rare eagles wheeled gracefully to and fro; snow squalls coquetted with the landscape.

At night the many creatures of the forest ventured out across the plains in search of food,--weasels; big white hares; deer, planting daintily their little sharp hoofs where the frozen turnips were most plentiful; porcupines in quest of anything they could get their keen teeth into;--and often the big timber wolves would send shivering across the waste a long whining howl.

And in the morning their tracks would embroider the snow with many stories.
The talk about the great stove in the boarding-house office also possessed the charm of balsam fragrance.

One told the other occult facts about the "Southeast of the southwest of eight." The second in turn vouchsafed information about another point of the compass.

Thorpe heard of many curious practical expedients.