XXV 



THROUGH ARCTIC STORMS TO GREAT SLAVE LAKE 



WE were up very early the next day, determined to 

 push our way through the Land of Little Sticks as rapidly 

 as possible, because our supply of provisions was very 

 small, and even at starving rations would scarcely last us 

 to reach Great Slave Lake. At noontime we were made 

 joyful by the sight of a small herd of caribou which 

 two or three of the Indians went after, and afforded me 

 the most annoying and miserable exhibition of marksman- 

 ship I had yet witnessed. Those caribou, at a distance of 

 about one hundred and fifty yards, circled around the Ind- 

 ians until each had fired twice without scoring, and then 

 they went over the ridges towards the north on a run. 



Our first day in the Land of Little Sticks was a bright 

 one overhead. The sun shone brilliantly, and the warmth 

 brought us to a sharp realization that the middle of April 

 was at hand. Not that it was so very warm I suppose it 

 was probably about 20 below zero, and the only way I 

 had of judging was from my personal sensations in trav- 

 elling. 



I found in the experience of my long trip that with the 

 thermometer at 40 below zero and no wind I was cool, 

 though not chilled, when running at a gait of about five 

 miles an hour. On the river, in getting down to Slave 

 Lake on my northward journey, at such few times when 

 the thermometer registered around 30 below, I found I 



