STARVING. 295 



9 



longer. We held a council of war after our last meal 

 was ended, and Mr. O.'B. laid down his one-eyed 

 spectacles and his Paley, to suggest that we should 

 immediately kill '' Blackie," as he affectionately de- 

 nominated the little black horse he usually took 

 charge of on the way. The Assiniboine and Cheadle 

 proposed to starve a few days longer, in the hope 

 of something turning up. Against this Mr. O'B. 

 entered a solemn protest, and eventually Milton's 

 proposal was agreed to. This was that The Assini- 

 boine should spend the next day in hunting : if he 

 were successful, we were relieved ; and if not, the 

 " Petit Noir " must die. There seemed some chance 

 for his life, for The Assiniboine had caught sight of a 

 bear during the day, and the dog had chased another. 

 Their tracks were tolerably numerous, and The Assini- 

 boine we knew to be the most expert hunter of the 

 Saskatchewan. 



Early next day The Assiniboine set out on his 

 hunt ; Cheadle and the boy went to a small lake 

 ahead to try to get a shot at some geese which had 

 flown over the day before ; Milton gathered bilberries ; 

 and Mr. O'B. studied ; whilst the woman essayed to 

 patch together shreds of moccasins. The party was 

 not a lively one, for there had been no breakfast 

 that morning. Mr. O'B., wearied of his Paley, de- 

 clared that he was beginning to have painful doubts 

 concerning his faith, and would read no more. He 

 did not keep his resolution, however, but resumed his 

 reading the same evening, and brought out his book 

 afterwards at every resting-place with the same regu- 

 larity as ever. In the afternoon Cheadle and the boy 



