142 Thirty Years 



aurora, and Dr. Richardson contrived to obtain from 

 under the snow specimens of most of the lichens in the 

 neighborhood, and to make himself acquainted with 

 the mineralogy of the surrounding country. 



The Sabbath was always a day of rest with us ; the 

 woodmen were required to provide for the exigencies 

 of that day on Saturday, and the party were dressed in 

 their best attire. Divine service was regularly per- 

 formed, and the Canadians attended, and behaved 

 with great decorum, although they were all Roman 

 Catholics, and but little acquainted with the language 

 in which the prayers were read. I regretted much that 

 we had not a French prayer-book, but the Lord's 

 Prayer and Creed were always read to them in their 

 own language. 



Our diet consisted almost entirely of the reindeer 

 meat, varied twice a week by fish, and occasionally by 

 a little Hour, but we had no vegetables of any descrip- 

 tion. On the Sunday mornings we drank a cup of 

 late, bul our greatest luxury wan tea (without 

 BUgar), of which we regularly partook twice a day. 

 Willi reindeer's fat, and strips of cotton shirts, wo 

 formed candles; and Eepburn acquired considerable 

 skill in the manufacture of soap, from wood ashes, tat, 

 and salt. The formation of soup was considered as 

 rather a myi fcenoua operation by our Canadians, and, 

 in their hands, was always supposed to fail if a woman 



