DAYS IN THE WOODS 295 



Somewhere about four o'clock in the morning 

 after the last night I awoke and found that Willie 

 Whisper had made up the fire, and was packing 

 his few belongings in his blanket. ^, 



" Why, Willie," said I, " what is the matter ? 

 What are you doing ? " 



" What am I doing ! Why, going to make a 

 start as soon as I have made some tea, and if you 

 take my advice you will do the same. It rained 

 heavily all the early part of the night away back. 

 It will be raining here pretty soon. Put your head 

 out and you will smell it, and see the moon riding 

 through a southerly scud. The ice is not thick. 

 It will break up quickly under the press of water 

 that is coming down. There's going to be a 

 strong thaw but a very short one, and the next 

 frost means a freeze up for the winter. I have to 

 hustle to get out to settlements for a few neces- 

 saries, and back into the woods before all the 

 waterways are closed, and you have no time to 

 lose if you want to make your winter camp by 



canoe." 



Willie was right. As he finished speaking a few 

 drops of rain fell spluttering into the fire, and I 

 found heavy masses of low flying clouds from the 

 South- West drifting across the setting moon. 



