168 SPORT IN NORTH AMERICA. 



of the car, and then, with the aid of friend Jack, who 

 was somewhat sobered by that time, we managed to 

 rescue the horse from his perilous position, and 

 place him side b}^ side with his companion. It is 

 worth noticing that, as soon as the poor animal 

 found itself in a position of safet}', it ceased kicking, 

 which was very fortunate for us, for the road was 

 very narrow. After that, we crept on as quietly as 

 could be ; but in half an hour Jack (who was now 

 quite sobered) began to halloo like a Stentor, and 

 presently we found ourselves at the halting-place 

 where we were to spend the night. Anxious to 

 enjoy the warmth of the fire which lit up the whole 

 building, I jumped over the side of the car, only to 

 plunge up to the middle in the snow, a position 

 from which I could only be extricated by the assist- 

 ance of the Indians, who sallied out and helped us- 

 out of our difficulties. The name of the host was 

 Joachim, and certainly his house was anything but 

 a palace. There was a room on the ground-floor, 

 about thirty feet square, furnished with two beds in 

 the furthermost corners, six chairs very much out 

 of repair, and an arm-chair in very bad order. 

 There was a stove in the middle with a blazing fire, 

 around which we found the jnaster of the house, his 

 wife, three very tall and ugly daughters, four lads 

 as ugly as their sisters, the five Indians who had 

 pulled me out of my snow bed, and half-a-dozen 

 dogs. 



