POSIES IN WINTER. ?0 



had come from Fort Garry, and might be called partially civi- 

 lized ; but a number of Crees, who were in the neighbourhood, 

 came and flattened their noses against the windows, and any- 

 thing more horrible than they looked under these circumstances 

 can hardly be imagined. 



In the morning I borrowed a pony and rode down the river 

 some twelve miles to where the fort band of horses was, an 

 Indian boy going with me to show me the way ; and I do not 

 think I ever saw anything more curious than the appearance 

 the prairies, where they had been feeding, presented. The 

 ponies are turned out late in the autumn, and have to shift for 

 themselves until the following April, and, if judiciously herded, 

 they will come up quite fat, though this fat is soft and will not 

 last if they are at once worked hard. When the snow becomes 

 deep, they scrape a hole and get into it, pawing away the snow 

 till they get at the grass, when they will enlarge the hole at the 

 bottom, to get as much grass as possible, and when they can 

 reach no more they plunge out and make another hole, the 

 sides of these holes serving as a protection against the cold 

 winds of winter. A prairie after they have left it presents 

 much the appearance of a dilapidated piece of honey-comb. 

 After arranging that the horses of which I had three should 

 be brought to my house during the following week, I went back 

 to Fort Carlton, and the next morning returned home, taking 

 three days to do the journey, a snow-storm having made the 

 going soft and hidden our tracks. 



I had while going back an opportunity of watching the won- 

 derful intelligence displayed by these sleigh-dogs. I had my 

 best train with me, and the trail being bad had put a big 

 black dog called " Papillon " in front. This dog's strong 



