HOW WE HAD A FEAST AND SMOKE. 285 



of the hill at the foot of which we were encamped, 

 he had seen, far to the south, mountains crowded 

 behind mountains, the everlasting pine-forest extend- 

 ing in every direction, without a sign of open country; 

 the only favourable circumstance which he observed 

 being that the hills appeared to become lower, 

 and fewer of them were capped with snow. We 

 all set eagerly to work to skin and cut up the bear, 

 and had a great feast that night. This was the first 

 fresh meat we had tasted since the mountain sheep at 

 Jasper House, and we found it a great treat, although 

 we had neither bread nor salt to eat with it, tea to 

 drink with it, nor tobacco to smoke after it. We 

 invented a substitute for the latter on this occasion 

 by mixing the oil out of our pipes with the kinni- 

 kinnick we smoked, but this was soon finished, and 

 we were reduced to the small comfort to be derived 

 from the simple willow-bark. We all felt happier 

 after the meal, and The Assiniboine exhorted us to be 

 of good courage, for we had now a week's provisions 

 by using economy; "I^ous arriverons bientot." 



