118 LABRADOR SNOW. 



not quite a foot. The snow here differs from that of New Eng- 

 land and other parts of the United States, in that it is dry and not 

 damp. It packs heavily, and when walked on generally gives out 

 that crisp sort of echo so often observed in walking any\vhere over 

 lightly packed drifts. In this climate, after our first snowstorm, 

 winter is upon us, and we can safely conclude that we are shut in 

 from sunlight and society until the next summer. A thin coat- 

 ing of ice has already formed, and we can probably soon be able 

 to traverse the bays in our sledges. We have fully started upon 

 our six months of ice and snow. 



Before I go any further, let me here stop for a few moments and 

 review a little. I have not fully described to you our quarters 

 either here, in our snug inland retreat, or those from which we so 

 lately removed on the outside island ; I will therefore try to give 

 you a little idea of how we live, and in what we live ; and, as most 

 of the families possess similar establishments, we will try to give 

 you the general idea of a Labrador home. 



