V 



> 



THROUGH THE FOREST AND HOME AGAIN. 245 



Since leaving the banks of the Hays River no timber 

 of any value had been seen. The wood had all been 

 black spruce of a very scrubby character, but now pop- 

 lar, birch and jack-pine were occasionally met with. 



On December the 4th the temperature ran down to 

 34 degrees below zero, but on the following day this 

 record was beaten, and 40 degrees below was registered. 

 In this low temperature we naturally found some 

 difficulty in keeping warm. When the day's tramp was 

 over, and our position taken for the night beside the 

 camp-fire, it was found necessary either to slowly re- 

 volve or frequently reverse our position. It was a 

 uestion of roasting or freezing, or rather doing both 

 at the same time. While one's face was turned to the 

 fire and enduring a roasting heat, his back was freez- 

 ing, and as the position was reversed the roasting and 

 freezing process was also reversed. Our meals, after 

 being prepared, were served up on the hot pan to keep 

 them warm while eating, but even so they were some- 

 times frozen to the frying pan before they could be 

 disposed of. 



During the afternoon of the 4th and the morning 

 of the 5th of December we crossed Deer Lake, twenty - 

 .seven miles in length, and at either end of the lake 

 found camps of Indians. From one of them we pur- 

 chased some fine whitefish, which they were catching 

 through the ice. 



By this time our guide Charlie had become pretty 

 badly used up by the march. He was no longer able 

 to hold the lead, but our own men managed to keep 

 the track and Charlie hobbled along behind 



