32 My Dogs in the Northland 



era wastes and forests and obliterated any 

 trail that might have been made by passing 

 hunters. 



As is customary and essential in travel- 

 ling with dogs in that country, we had with 

 us on our sleds our kettles, provisions, bed- 

 ding, guns and everything absolutely essen- 

 tial to living out in the open air, independ- 

 ent of the rest of the world. We did not 

 see a house on the whole route and only met 

 with a few hunters through whose hunting 

 grounds we passed. Three times when night 

 overtook us we made our camp in the woods 

 and there slept with no roof over us. 



Abundance of fur robes and warm blank- 

 ets made our wintry beds under the stars. 

 We spent the nights as best we could. 

 Sometimes as there we slept, the clouds 

 arose and from them a heavy fall of snow 

 silently covered us like a great warm 

 blanket, and added much to our comfort. 



After various adventures and mishaps, 

 incident to such lands and such methods of 

 travel, we reached the southern end of a 

 lake about thirty miles long. On the north- 

 ern end of this lake was situated the mis- 

 sion where lived my hypochondriacal In- 

 dian, towards whose house we were travel- 



