140 AN AGREEABLE PROPOSAL. 



With these he returned to the camp, and with the 

 aid of Jake and Gaultier he soon established a blaze 

 that made the large kettle bubble merrily. Venison 

 was roasted on the coals, and by the time that the 

 sun had fairly climbed the sky and looked down upon 

 the Athabasca, our hunters were engaged in the con- 

 genial task of satisfying keen appetites. 



After breakfast the party evinced no immediate 

 desire to continue their journey. Jake cut a plug 

 from a large chunk of "James River" tobacco, and 

 having placed it in his mouth, he eyed the scene in 

 a contemplative manner. Gaultier busied himself 

 in arranging some fishing-tackle with which he 

 meditated an attack on the finny denizens of the 

 Athabasca. Pierre reclined upon a bearskin in the 

 doorway of the hut, and gazed vacantly at the river 

 through clouds of tobacco smoke. 



Jake was the first to break silence. " I say, fellurs," 

 said he, "we've been lucky lately in gettin' a lot o' 

 furs an' meat. I kinder feels lazy to-day, an' ef ye've 

 no objection, I votes for stayin' hyur an' restin'. We 

 mout hev a squirl-hunt or somethin' o' that sort jest 

 to keep us from mopin'. What d'ye say ? " 



It is needless to say that this arrangement chimed 

 in nicely with the feelings of the young men. It was 

 accordingly arranged that a squirrel-hunt should form 

 the chief feature of their day of rest. For this purpose 

 the woods on the opposite side of the river seemed 

 most suitable, as they consisted chiefly of deciduous 



