ON SNQWSHOES AND DOG-SLEDS. 223 



time the big dry sticks of wood were thrown upon the 

 fire, showers of sparks ascended until they found hiding- 

 places among the dark branches of the overhanging 

 spruce trees. 



Camp-fire stories and gossip were indulged in for an 

 hour, then several logs were thrown upon the fire, 

 and each man, rolled up in his blanket and with feet 

 toward the fire, lay down to sleep. There was little 

 sleep for me, however, because of my knee, which gave 



e great pain during the night. 



The next morning camp was called at five o'clock, and 



der the still star-lit sky all hands rolled out into the 

 keen frosty morning air. At the first streak of dawn, 

 after breakfast and other preliminaries, our march was 

 resumed. 



It was yet dark in the woods, and to most of us there 

 was no more indication of a trail in one place than in 

 another, but our veteran guide, who possessed all the 

 sagacity of the ideal red-man, led the way, and all the 

 rest of us had to do was merely to follow his tracks. 

 Soon we merged from the Eastern Woods, and getting 

 into more open country, turned our course toward the 

 south, crossing broad plains, diversified here and there 

 by stunted, scattered trees, ice-covered ponds, and occa- 

 sionally the thickly wooded valley of a winding stream. 

 As we travelled on my leg caused me intense pain, so 

 that it became impossible to keep up with the train. I 

 hobbled along as well as I could for a time, but finding 

 that I was seriously retarding the progress of the march, 

 arrangements were made to give me a lift on one of the 

 sleds. Pierre and Louis were also becoming lame from 



