140 ON SNOW-SHOES TO THE BARREN GROUNDS 



on hands and knees, and thus I reached at last the camp 

 Mercrede had made several miles below. 



Vigorous and continuous application of mustang lini- 

 ment put me in shape for travel the next morning. Ex- 

 ceedingly painful travel, but travel none the less, which 

 was, after all, the main consideration. Walking was bear- 

 able, but running set every leg nerve and muscle vibrat- 

 ing, and I tried all possible ways of making those half- 

 breeds know I wished them to walk. But they did not or 

 would not understand, and there was nothing left for me 

 but to " stay " with them, which I did. 



It was afterwards explained to me at Resolution why 

 they had maintained such a pace despite my evident suf- 

 fering. It seems I had made in the country some renown 

 as a runner a case of honor being thrust upon me, for I 

 cannot see that I merited it, unless the Indians deemed 

 perseverance worthy of such distinction. However, I 

 gained the reputation nevertheless, and it travelled ahead 

 of me from post to post. Now as the Indians and half- 

 breeds are exceedingly jealous of their own reputation as 

 runners, and probably did not fancy a white man even un- 

 willingly sharing it, the result was that every pair of 

 guides I secured set out to thoroughly test my qualifica- 

 tions for the name which had been given me. As I got 

 fresh guides and dogs at each Hudson Bay post on my 

 journey, it may be implied I was kept busy. Mercrede 

 and his companion were the first two that had found me 

 hors dc combat, so to say, and they proceeded to have a 

 good time with me. Well, they had it. At first I brought 

 to my aid all the signs and Indian words, Cree and Chipe- 

 wyan, I knew, in a serious and laborious effort to make them 

 understand how painful it was for me to run. And they 

 looked wise and solemn, and nodded assent and then 

 started out and went as hard as ever. 



