282 A NEW STYLE OF SNOW-HUT. 



my mind all through the day, as I tumbled among 

 the ice and the drifts, in devising some better plan 

 of hut than the cavern arrangement of the nomadic 

 Kalutunah. The snow-bank which I selected had a 

 square side about five feet high. Starting on the top 

 of this, we dug a pit about six feet long, four and 

 a half wide, and four deep, leaving between the pit 

 and the square side of the bank a wall about two feet 

 thick. Over the top of this pit we placed one of the 

 sledges, over the sledge the canvas apron used, while 

 traveling, to inclose the cargo, and over that again 

 we shoveled loose snow to the depth of some three 

 feet. Then we dug a hole into this inclosure through 

 the thin wall, pushed in our buffalo-skin bedding, and 

 all articles penetrable by a dog's tooth and not in- 

 closed in tin cases, (for the dogs will eat any thing, 

 their own harness included,) then a few blocks of hard 

 snow, and finally we crawled in ourselves. The blocks 

 of snow were jammed into the entrance, and we were 

 housed for the night. 



Being bound on a short journey, I thought that I 

 could afford a little extra weight, and carried alcohol 

 for fuel, as this is the only fuel that can be used in 

 the close atmosphere of a snow-hut. A ghastly blue 

 blaze was soon flickering in our faces, and in our single 

 tin-kettle some snow was being converted into water, 

 and then the water began to hum, and then after a 

 long while it boiled, (it is no easy matter to boil water 

 in such temperature with a small lamp,) and we were 

 refreshed with a good strong pint pot of tea ; then 

 the tea-leaves were tossed into one corner, some more 

 snow was put in the tea-kettle and melted, and out of 

 desiccated beef and desiccated potatoes we make a 

 substantial hash ; and when this was disposed of we lit 



