THE MOOSE. 165 



desert. "Wrapped up in our cloaks of buffalo fur, 

 we braved the fury of the wind which swept the 

 road, driving before it the showers of hail and snow 

 with which the ground was covered. The da}' had 

 scarcely begun to dawn when we passed through the 

 suburb of St. Yallier, still in its first sleep. Not a 

 soul was to be seen, and the snow whitened the 

 roads and effaced every trace of humanity. The 

 road to Loretto was wide and well kept, and with 

 the exception of the drifting snow nothing threat- 

 ened the comfort and safety of our journey. In a 

 short time we were at Loretto, and there Jack, the 

 trapper, met us by appointment. Directly he joined 

 us, Jack petitioned for a little money, " to kill the 

 devil" as he said, the foul spirit having paralysed 

 him with fright. In reply to this appeal, M'Lean 

 was foolish enough to give him a few shillings, 

 with which he managed, by the aid of a few glasses 

 of very strong gin, to get as drimk as a lord, 

 and he very nearly contrived to upset the trap as 

 soon as he got into it. You may be sure that for 

 the remainder of the journey we sternly refused any 

 further advance of money. In spite of our pre- 

 cautions, however. Jack got so drunk before mid-day 

 that we had to threaten leaving him on the road. 

 This threat, repeated with a serious air, produced 

 its effect, and Jack thought it best to curl himself 

 up in the bottom of the sleigh and go to sleep. 

 The Canadian Indians, directly they have touched 



