34 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES 



Hepburn acquired considerable skill in the manu- 

 facture of soap, from the wood-ashes, fat, and salt. 

 The formation of soap was considered as rather 

 a mysterious operation by our Canadians, and, 

 in their hands, was always supposed to fail if a 

 woman approached the kettle in which the ley 

 was boiling. Such are our simple domestic 

 details. 



On the 30th, two hunters came from the leader, 

 to convey ammunition to him, as soon as our men 

 should bring it from Fort Providence. 



The men, at this time, coated the waUs of the 

 house on the outside, with a thin mixture of clay 

 and water, which formed a crust of ice, that, for 

 some days, proved impervious to the air- the 

 dryness of the atmosphere, however, was such, 

 that the ice m a short time evaporated, and ^ave 

 admission to the wind as before. It is a general 

 custom at the forts to give this sort of coating to 

 the walls at Christmas time. When it was gone 

 we attempted to remedy its defect, by heaping 

 up snow against the walls. ^ 



JaZ; , ™^^^°^^«g our men assembled, and 



7 ^'^^'^ ^« ^ith the customary salutation 

 on the commencement of the new yL. S 

 they might enjoy a holiday, they h^ yeste^ay 

 coUected double the usual quantify of 

 and we anxiously expected the return of the men 



