142 THE NORTH-WEST PASSAGE BY LAND. 



roused him violently, and half dragged, half led him 

 into a clump of trees at the side of the lake. Here 

 he immediately relapsed into a deep sleep, whilst his 

 son quickly collected wood and made a fire. Then, 

 wrapping his father in the blankets carried on the 

 sleigh, he laid him alongside the fire, and with 

 affectionate care sat out the w^earisome hours of 

 night, sedulously feeding the kindly flame, and 

 though shivering and half frozen himself, disdaining 

 to deprive his helpless parent of a blanket. Duti- 

 fully the boy watched whilst his father slept hour 

 after hour, until the sun was high in the heavens, 

 when the man at last awoke, sober and unharmed, 

 and the homeward journey was renewed. 



After the departure of the Hunter and his boy, 

 we quietly retired to rest without further disturb- 

 ance. In the morning we dispatched " The Wolf" 

 to Wliite Fish Lake, with a message for the erring 

 Keenamontiayoo, urging him to return to his duty. 

 The day passed without either of them making their 

 appearance, and at night we held council together as 

 to what course we should pursue if we were left 

 entirely to our own resources. The man had carried 

 back with him all the meat he had brought for us, 

 and our stock of pemmican was getting low. On 

 the following morning, however, we were much 

 relieved by the arrival of the delinquent Hunter, ac- 

 companied by his son and " The Wolf," and bringing 

 a sleigh load of moose meat as before. It appeared 

 that the two had not reached home until long after 

 '' The Wolfs " arrival at the hut the day before — until 



