238 ACROSS THE ST. LAWRENCE 



piece, and hauled up our canoes on it. It was 

 about fifty feet long by twenty or so wide, and 

 thick enough to be solid. We laid one of the 

 canoes on its keel crossways to the wind, driving 

 our harpoons in the ice to hold it against the gale. 

 The second canoe we turned on its side behind the 

 other, banking up the ends and sides with pieces 

 ol ice and snow, which we handled with our pad- 

 dles. 



We had now some slight shelter from the bit- 

 ing wind. The cold was also increasing. This 

 work on the ice had warmed us up a little and I 

 took advantage of this to strip and wring out my 

 trousers and socks, as in attempting to haul the 

 canoe over a piece of ice I had broken through 

 and gone into the water up to the waist. All we 

 could do just then was to tramp around, beat our 

 hands and try to keep warm. I soon warmed 

 myself up in this manner and urged the others to 

 do the same. The ice driven off shore by the 

 gale opened a broad lane of open water to 

 the north of us. This gave us a ray of hope- 

 Should the wind calm down we still might have a 

 chance in that direction. 



We had no food of any kind with us and during 

 the whole day I had kept my gun and rifle handy 

 in case a seal should show up within range. We 

 saw a few, but at a long distance, but my pa- 

 tience was rewarded by getting a shot at a flock 

 of long-tailed ducks old squaws and I brought 



