1 



70 JOURNAL OP THE TRINIDAD 



(about the length of your camp) and haul them on the taboggans 

 to the camp, where you place them in a pile lengthways in front 

 of the open side of the camp — ver}^ much like a pile of cordwood, 

 only that the logs are put lengthways — you put in some stakes of 

 very green hardwood which will not easily burn, to keep them a 

 little in position, and you light your fire inside (on the camp side) 

 of the huge pile, and soon have a fire fit to roast an ox. As one 

 log is burnt through you roll down another and tumble the ends 

 of the ones burnt through, into the fire, which is thus kept up 

 all night. 



I have slept in a very scratch camp like this, in deep snow, 

 when the thermometer was 32° below Zero — 64 below freezing — 

 and enjoyed it, but to do so, you must do a fair share of the 

 work, wood-cutting and camp-making, drc, if only to keep yourself 

 warm. 



A " permanent camp," as we called it, was generally 

 regularly built as a log hut. You fell long logs, a foot or more 

 in diameter, for the sides, shorter ones for the ends, notch and 

 cross the ends at the corners of your hut, and slope the roof down 

 towards the two ends, so as to leave a big open hole for the 

 smoke to go out in the centre, stuff" up the cracks between the 

 logs with moss and snow, or build up snow firmly against the 

 outside. 



Your fire, which need not be quite so huge as in an open 

 camp, you pile up across the middle of the hut, you make one 

 small door, made of bark or spruce branches closely matted, and 

 no window. 



Such a camp can be made wonderfully snug, and we used 

 often to return to a well built camp of this sort for several 

 successive winters. 



It only required a few repairs, and perhaps a new roof, and 

 fresh branches for bed, etc., and there was no bother about 

 estimates, passing requisitions, pre-audit &c. , you immediately 

 set about it and did it. 



Of course, it is of great importance to select a good site for 

 your camp — well sheltered in the first place — plenty of trees 

 suitable for your fire within easy haulage— and, if possible, a 

 water spring. You can, of course, always have water by melting 

 snow, but spring water is better ; and the Indians are wonder- 

 fully clever at finding out a spring even when it is covered over 

 with snow. 



The game hunted in winter was chiefly cariboo (the 

 American reindeer) and moose (elk). Sometimes in the early 

 winter you might still find a bear out on the prowl. 



Moose used formerly to be killed, or rather butchered, in 

 large quantities late in the winter, when the snow is very deep 



