Produced by Al Haines. [Illustration: Cover art] [Illustration: "_He found himself in a large room flooded with light_." Page 192.] [Illustration: Pre-title page] *MY STRANGE RESCUE* AND OTHER STORIES *of Sport and Adventure in Canada* BY J. MACDONALD OXLEY _Author of "In the Wilds of the West Coast," "Diamond Rock," "Up Among the Ice-Floes" &c. &c._ THOMAS NELSON AND SONS _London, Edinburgh, and New York_ 1903 *PREFATORY NOTE.* The Author begs to express his acknowledgments to the publishers of _Our Youth_, _Youth’s Companion_, _Harper’s Young People_, _Golden Days_, and other periodicals, in whose pages many of these stories and sketches were first published. J. M. O. *CONTENTS.* MY VERY STRANGE RESCUE A BLESSING IN STERN DISGUISE IN PERIL AT BLACK RUN TOUCH AND GO THE CAVE IN THE CLIFF TOBOGGANING A MIC-MAC CINDERELLA BLUE-NOSE FISHER FOLK LOST ON THE LIMITS A STRANGE HELPER FORTY MILES OF MAELSTROM THE CANADIAN CHILDREN OF THE COLD FACE TO FACE WITH AN "INDIAN DEVIL" IN THE NICK OF TIME SNOW-SHOEING THE SWIMMING MATCH AT THE ARM HAROLD’S LASTING IMPRESSION HOW WILBERFORCE BRENNAN VISITED WHITE BEAR CASTLE OUTSIDE THE BOOM FOUND AFTER MANY DAYS MRS. GRUNDY’S GOBBLERS ON THE WRONG SIDE OF THE SNOW-RIDGE THROUGH THE TRACKLESS FOREST WRECKS AND WRECKERS OF ANTICOSTI A LUMBER CAMP LACROSSE A PILLOW-SLIP FULL OF APPLES LOST ON LAKE ST. LOUIS ICE-SKATING IN CANADA THE WILD DOGS OF ATHABASCA BIRDS AND BEASTS ON SABLE ISLAND THE BORE OF MINAS BASIN THE GAME OF RINK HOCKEY ON THE EDGE OF THE RAPIDS THEO’S TOBOGGANING TRIUMPH [Illustration: Chapter I headpiece] *MY VERY STRANGE RESCUE.* A shout of laughter rang through the kitchen and went echoing up the great chimney when, much more in fun than in earnest, I hinted that if they could not manage to kill the bear themselves I would have to do it for them. Now it was no new thing for me to be laughed at. My big brothers were only too fond of that amusement, and I had got pretty well used to it; but this time I detected a particularly derisive tone in their hilarity, which touched me to the quick, and springing to my feet, with eyes flashing and cheeks burning, I burst out hotly,— "I don’t care how much you laugh. As sure as I’m standing here, I’ll put a bullet in that bear before this time to-morrow night!" At this they only laughed the louder, and filled the room with sarcastic shouts of,—