152 Thirty Years 



venience was not regarded, as the day was unusually 

 warm; the temperature at two P. M. being 82^°. 

 At Marten Lake we joined the canoe party, and en- 

 camped with them. We had the mortification of 

 learning from our hunters that the meat they had put 

 en cache here, had been destroyed by the wolverenes, 

 and we had in consequents, to furnish the supper 

 from our scanty stock of dried meat. The wind 

 changed from S.E. to N.E. in the evening, and the 

 weather became very cold, the thermometer being 43° 

 at nine P.M. The few dwarf birches we could collect 

 afforded fire insufficient to keep us warm, and we 

 retired under the covering of our blankets as soon as 

 the supper was despatched. The N.E. breeze ren- 

 dered the night so extremely cold, that we procured 

 but little sleep, having neither fire nor shelter, for 

 though we carried our tents, we had been forced to 

 leave the tent poles which we could not now replace ; 

 » we therefore gladly recommenced the journey at five 

 in the morning, and traveled through the remaining 

 part of the lake on the ice. Its surface being quite 

 smooth, the canoes were dragged along expeditiously 

 by the dogs, and the rest of the party had to walk 

 very quirk to keep pace with them, which occasioned 

 fchem in gel many heavy falls. By the time we had 

 reached the i ad of the lake, the wind had increased to 

 a perfect gale, and the atmosphere was so cold that 



