64 The Musk-ox 



I think the most trying hour of the twenty-four 

 in the Barren Grounds day was at the camping 

 time in the afternoon. Beniah invariably chose 

 the highest and most exposed position to be 

 found, that our tepee might be the more visible 

 to the scouts, kept out all day on either side look- 

 ing for caribou, or musk-oxen ; and there was 

 always the delaying discussion of the Indians 

 amongst themselves, while I, chilled to the bone 

 by the inaction, stood around awaiting the close 

 of the argument before it was possible to get to 

 the business of camp-making. Because the snow 

 was packed so hard as to be impossible to shovel 

 away with the snow-shoe, a rocky site was always 

 sought, where we fitted our bodies to the uneven 

 ground as best we could. With the camp site 

 definitely chosen, a circle was made of the sledges, 

 touching head and tail ; then three lodge poles, 

 tied together at the top, were set up in the form 

 of a triangle, with the ends stuck into the sledges 

 to give them firm footing, and the four remaining 

 poles placed so as to make a cone of the triangle. 

 Over and around this was stretched the caribou- 

 skin tepee, with the bottom edge drawn down 

 and outside the sledges. Blocks of snow were 

 then cut and banked up around the outside of 



