HEMING TURNS BACK 51 



journey to the great lone land, over a strange country, 

 and without even the poor satisfaction of talking my 

 mother-tongue. 



My regret over Heming's falling ill may be better imag- 

 ined than described. Foremost, of course, I deplored the 

 loss of a companion on a trip which was to extend over 

 2800 miles ; and of less but still considerable concern was 

 the sudden deprivation of a helpmate, upon whose hardi- 

 hood and experience I had confidently counted. Heming 

 had had abundant snow-shoeing and some dog- sledging, 

 and I set much value on a knowledge that would, to some 

 extent at least, facilitate our venturesome undertaking. 

 And now here I was, just four days out from La Biche, 

 never having had a web snow-shoe on my foot, nor even 

 seen a dog -sledge, with six days of travel over an un- 

 known country between me and Fort McMurray, the 

 next nearest trading -post. However, unpleasant as the 

 prospect was, I had thought it all over the night before 

 as I lay in my blankets after our hard day's run, and real- 

 ized the situation as completely as I had settled upon my 

 course. But it was not a happy afternoon, that 8th of 

 January, 1895, which saw me, after the separation, trudg- 

 ing onward in cold and in silence. 



If I lamented Heming, most assuredly I did not mourn 

 " Shot," notwithstanding his being the only man in the 

 outfit who knew the country across which we were to 

 journey. He had been a sore trial to me from the day 

 of our departure nay, even from the very hour of our in- 

 troduction at La Biche and I confess to honest relief in 

 ridding myself of him, though I was at the time like a 

 ship cast adrift without rudder. Before starting he had 

 deliberately broken his contract, and followed it up by re- 

 peated attempts to squeeze more money out of me when 

 he recognized my helplessness and saw my anxiety to get 



