306 WINTER. 



advances, and it always takes at least one long day's drive 

 to reach the last house. 



"The last house" i.e. that house in the settlement 

 which is most remote from the civilized world deserves 

 some little notice ; for there are many of them in Canada 

 (may I be pardoned for the bull). It is a little square 

 building, made of logs and bark, containing one small 

 room with an enormous fireplace. The furniture is simple, 

 generally consisting of a bedstead or two, a table, a couple 

 of stools, and a few barrels. But small as is his accommo- 

 dation, the proprietor of the last house is invariably of a 

 hospitable turn of mind, and does his utmost to entertain 

 his guests ; while the good woman cooks the supper, he 

 spins them yarns (which are not always to be relied upon) 

 about the moose and bears he has slain ; he handles the 

 guns, down the muzzles of which he squints, discrimi- 

 nating between them, and " guessing " that " she is good 

 for ball," " she for shot." 



The hunters sleep rolled up in their blankets before the 

 fire, as the back-settler's beds are usually occupied to 

 their utmost capability. One of the accomplishments 

 learnt in the backwoods is to sleep in one's clothes. The 

 regular backwoodsman turns in without undressing, and 

 thereby saves himself an immensity of trouble in dressing 

 next morning. The remainder of the journey has to be 

 performed on foot, the baggage being hauled by the 

 Indians on their trabogens. These are long, narrow hand- 

 sleds ; the runners are very wide, and turned up in front, 

 and they run lightly on the top of the snow, or in a man's 

 snow-shoe track. It is wonderful to see the loads an 

 Indian can haul through the woods on one of these pii- 



