96 THE NORTH-WEST PASSAGE BY LAND. 



The night was bright and very cold, and the fire 

 miserably small, the only dry wood to be found being 

 a few dead saplings of aspen, the size of pea-rods. 

 Blankets and buffalo robes had been left in the old 

 camp, and the hunters were little better off than they 

 had been a few nights before. The covering this time 

 was a large waterproof sheet, which had been brought 

 to roll up meat in, and was, if possible, less efficient 

 than the raw hide had been. The moisture of the 

 breath condensed and froze in cakes inside the sheet, 

 and all advantage from sleeping w4th head under the 

 covering was thus lost. As in the previous adventure, 

 sleep w^as not to be obtained, and the similar w^eary 

 watch for daylight, stamping about, mending the tiny 

 fire, obser\dng the progress of Orion, and listening 

 to the snapping and growling of the wolves, seemed 

 interminable. 



Since, how^ever, it was nearly midnight when the 

 search for the camp was given up, the season of misery 

 lasted, in reality, little more than half as long as 

 before, although, for its duration, the hardship was 

 quite as severe. 



At daybreak La Eonde reconnoitred, and dis- 

 covered that the camp was within 300 or 400 yards to 

 the left; and, when approached, showed ominous 

 marks of disorder. The wolves had been dividing the 

 spoils, as Cheadle shrewdly suspected. The whole 

 of Misquapamayoo's little store, consisting of choice 

 morsels, which he had prepared and packed with 

 nicest care, was gone, and nearly the whole of our 

 sleigh load beside. The new supply, however, nearly 



