94 



A JOURNEY TO THE SHORES 







CHAPTER IV. 



\ 



Leave Cumberland House — Mode of Travelling: in Winter — Arrival at Carlton House — Stone 



Indians — Visit to a Buffalo Pound — Goitres — Departure from Carlton 



Isle a la 



Crosse 



Chipeywan 



1820. 



January 18 



. A HIS day we set out from Cumberland House for Carl- 

 ton House ; but previously to detailing the events of the journey, it 

 may be proper to describe the necessary equipments of a winter 

 traveller in this region , which I cannot do better than by extracting 



the following brief, but accurate, account of it from Mr. Hood's 



j our nal : 



" A snow-shoe is made of two light bars of wood, fastened to- 

 gether at their extremities, and projected into curves by transverse 

 bars. The side bars have been so shaped by a frame, and dried be- 

 fore a fire, that the front part of the shoe turns up, like the prow 

 of a boat, and the part behind terminates in an acute angle ; the 

 spaces between the bars are filled up with a fine netting of leathern 



thongs, except that part behind the main bar, which is 



pied by 



the feet ; the netting is there close and strong, and the foot is at 



tached to the main bar by straps passing round the heel, but 



nly 



fixing the toes, so that the heel rises after each step, and the tail of 

 the shoe is dragged on the snow. Between the main bar and 

 another in front of it, a small space is left, permitting the toes to 

 descend a little in the act of raising the heel to make the step for- 

 ward, which prevents their extremities from chafing. The length of 

 a show-shoe is from four to six feet, and the breadth one foot and a 



