IN A SNOW BANK. 303 



cover, and went behind the snow wall to help the 

 cooks with their fire. 



The poor dogs were almost buried out of sight. 

 They had all crouched together in a heap ; and as the 

 drift accumulated over them they poked their heads 

 further and further up into it ; and when I came to 

 count them to see if any had left us and run back to 

 the ship or been frozen to death, it was truly count- 

 ing noses. There were fourteen of them. 



It seems rather strange to be writing on at this rate 

 in a snow-hut, but the truth is I have no more trouble 

 in writing here than if I were in my cabin. The tem- 

 perature has come up almost to the freezing point, 

 and it is a great relief to write. What else should I 

 do ? I have two small books which I have brought 

 along for just such emergencies as this, and while 

 my companions play cards and bet gingerbread and 

 oyster suppers and bottles of rum to be paid in Bos- 

 ton, I find nothing better to do than read and write ; 

 and, since I cannot remain unoccupied, but must kill 

 time in some manner, or else sleep, suppose I describe 

 this den in the snow-bank. 



It is a pit eighteen feet long by eight wide and 

 four deep. Over the top of said pit are placed the 

 boat-oars, to support the sledge, which is laid across 

 them ; and over the sledge is thrown the boat's sail ; 

 and over the sail is thrown loose snow. In one end 

 of the den thus formed there is a hole, through which 

 we crawl in, and which is now filled up tightly with 

 blocks of snow. Over the floor (if the term is admis- 

 sible) there is spread a strip of India-rubber cloth ; 

 over this cloth a strip of buffalo-skins, which are all 

 squared and sewed together ; and over this again 

 another just like it. When we want to sleep wo 



