FIELD NATURALISTS' CLUB. 69 



and " Sure, I didn't mean that I was going to leave ycu, I was 

 joking." 



Click — back to half cock went my rifle, and I quietly said : 

 " Glad to hear it, Peter, we are going to be chums and comrades 

 " in these woods for the next three weeks at any rate, and I will 

 " rely upon you, if you rely upon me, but you must begin by 

 " believing that what I say I'll do, I do." 



" I believe you," he replied, "suppose we go on, I will soon 

 " get the taboggan and catch you up — you rest or go on slowly 

 " in that direction." 



And he did catch me up in an incredibly short time, and 

 from that moment we were sworn chums, and I think each placed 

 the fullest reliance in the other for ever afterwards. 



We took it in turns for the rest of the day to " break path " 

 and reached our proposed camp about dusk after a very hard 

 day's work. 



The winter camp you make varies, according to whether you 

 mean to occupy it for a night, or two ; or whether you mean to 

 occupy it for a few weeks, and hunt the country all round ; 

 which is what we generally did. 



A scratch camp for the night is generally made something 

 like a summer camp — open at one side where you make a huge 

 fire. 



A strong pole or cross piece, between two trees or forked 

 posts, and a " lean-to " roof, made by slanting poles with cross 

 pieces, covered thickly with spruce fir branches, and then thickly 

 covered with snow, which you shovel up with your snow shoes, 

 and then batten down hard and smooth with your snow shoes 

 and hands, so that it is air proof. The ends of the camp being 

 filled up in the same way. 



Snow, leaves, and rubbish are cleared away from the inside 

 and the ground covered thickly with spruce fir branches, with 

 which you also make your bed. A most comfortable bed it is, if 

 well made. There is a great art in making it well. You get a 

 cmantity of the points of the feathery spruce fir branches about 

 a foot long, and regularly thatch the ground thickly from the foot 

 to the head of the bed, by sticking the stick end of the branches 

 in layers into the ground — -very much as natives here thatch a 

 roof with carat — only that the branches are stuck in the ground 

 instead of being tied to the rafters of a roof. The bad is beauti- 

 fully springy and the smell of the fir leaves or branches is 

 delightful. You cover this with a buffalo robe, and cover your- 

 self with a blanket or two and another buffalo robe. 



Then comes the most important part of the proceedings — 

 the night's fire. You fell four or five enormous trees, generally 

 pitch pine, and cut them in lengths or logs, eight or ten feet long 



