NARRATIVE. 97 



seen in several places together. Another is north, a little east. Another 

 nearly E. to W. The last has a direction north and south, which we see in 

 Neepigon Bay, where are the only inlets on the lake running north and 

 south. Of these various sets of dykes each has its peculiar mineralogical 

 character." 



In looking round after the lecture for some more comfortable shel- 

 ter than the tent, we espied a smoke rising from the chimney of a 

 cabin at some distance in the clearing on the hill. Going thither we 

 found one of the men very comfortably established on a sort of bench 

 before a fire-place of stones and mud which occupied one of the 

 corners. This was the only one of the houses that had a fire-place, 

 and it was in all respects in much better condition than the rest, 

 whether originally so, or from its remoteness having suffered less 

 since its erection. Perhaps part of their company left the place 

 when all hopes of copper vanished, and the rest then collected together 

 in this building, leaving the other cabins to fall to pieces. 



However this may be, the signs of habitation were still fresh here, 

 and likewise unmistakable traces of the severity of the climate. 

 Not only were the interstices between the logs carefully stuffed with 

 moss and mud, but even the chinks between the two rooms into which 

 the little hut (not over twenty feet by ten in the whole,) was divided, 

 were filled throughout with hares' fur, large quantities of which were 

 also piled up in a loft above and on a rude bedstead in the further 

 room ; a little cu'cumstance which told not only of cold, but also of 

 the listlessness and ennui of the poor devils shut up here, who could 

 find time to puU to pieces skins enough to make such a quantity of 

 loose fur. This was shown also by the caricatures scrawled all over 

 the walls wherever the wood would show a mark, and an attempt 

 apparently to make out an alphabet, some characters of which were 

 entirely anomalous, and if inscribed on one of the rocks, might make 

 work for some future antiquary. Each of the rooms had a fire-place 

 occupying the corner, one still in good order, the other fallen to 

 pieces from the softening of the mud cement. It was sad to think 

 of the long days and nights they must have spent here, blocked up 

 by the snow and crowding round the fire-places from the keen air 

 rushing in at the chinks of door and window. Yet they were not 



