152 THE NORTH-WEST PASSAGE BY LAND. 



squaw, perfectly contented, engaged in cooking the 

 buffalo's head, his only provision. There seemed 

 every probability that he would be starved to death, 

 either by cold or hunger ; but, to our surprise, he 

 made his appearance at our hut at the end of the 

 winter, hideous and gaunt as ever, but apparently 

 in his usual health and spirits. 



There was now more meat than we required at 

 present, and the cache was therefore left undisturbed, 

 some given in charge of Gaytchi Mohkamarn, and a 

 small sleigh and two dogs hired in addition to the two 

 brought to carry the rest. These were loaded with 

 all they could carry, and the homeward journey com- 

 menced. The track was tolerably good, but the tra- 

 velling very tedious, on account of the heavy loads. 

 One of the dogs in the borrowed sleigh was the skele- 

 ton belonging to the hideous Indian ; but it soon ap- 

 peared he was too weak to carry even himself with 

 ease, and was therefore dismissed by the Hunter, and 

 a puppy harnessed in his place, who pulled well, but 

 ceased not to howl until released from his bonds at 

 the end of the day. The work was hard for all, 

 each having a sleigh to look after, and the upsets 

 being more frequent than ever. The firm path 

 formed by the beating down of the snow was now a 

 considerable height above the ground, like a rail the 

 width of a sleigh, running along in the soft, floury 

 powder at the sides. At the turns, or on hill-sides, 

 the sleighs were apt to slip off and upset, and re- 

 quired great strength and greater patience to replace 

 them on the *' Hne.'* 



