OR, THE LAKE LANDS OF CANADA. 195 



the wood being placed in such a position as to occasion 

 little inconvenience to put it on the fire when it was re- 

 quired, while the twigs were arranged in the most ap- 

 proved style for the bed. The next order of business 

 consisted in the preparation of the evening meal, which 

 was composed of venison, coffee, and bread. The fresh 

 venison was cut into suitable pieces and then roasted on 

 the spits over our fire, while the coffee was prepared in 

 the usual manner. The fresh deer-skin was brought into 



o 



use as a partial cover (although the only one we pos- 

 sessed) for the balsam twigs composing our bed. Having 

 completed our evening meal, we then took such positions 

 about the fire as enabled us to dry our clothing, after 

 which we made ready to retire by simply removing our 

 boots, which is done as a precautionary act to prevent the 

 destruction of the same by fire. The balance of the 

 wardrobe is retained on our bodies as an additional pro- 

 tection against cold, since we only possess a single blanket 

 with which to cover the whole party. The author has 

 detailed thus minutely the preparations made for spending 

 the first night while we were out on our reconnoissance, 

 and this will answer for the succeeding ones while we were 

 thus engaged. 



I suffered somewhat from the cold during the night, 

 especially my feet, but my body was pretty well protected 

 by sleeping between the captain and George Ross. The 

 first part of the night was comparatively warm, but before 

 the dawn of day it became very cold, and ice formed nearly 

 or quite an inch thick on the little pools of water near us. 



Thus terminates the record of the first day spent on 



