Beyond the Snow-Path 



And thereby forego all possibility of dis- 

 covering the hidden secrets of the winter 

 woods? No! I will make the plunge. I 

 will dare so great a labor. Though I may 

 be able to penetrate the woods but a short 

 distance beyond the clearing, I may find, 

 in that trackless, undiscovered country, all, 

 and more, than I seek. It is worth trying, 

 anyway. 



I strap my trousers tightly inside my 

 high overshoes, and stride out into the white 

 waste, sinking at every step above my knees. 

 It is almost as hard work as wading through 

 so much water, and the unnatural motion of 

 throwing the knee so high, and lifting the 

 body upward and forward, when the foot 

 finds a resting-place, soon makes the back 

 and thigh muscles ache desperately. I have 

 known hunters who could keep up this rock- 

 ing, camel-like motion all day, following a 

 deer's or bear's trail, when the brushy, 

 tangled nature of the country rendered the 

 use of snowshoes both troublesome and dan- 

 gerous to a man with a loaded gun in his 

 hand. All physical feats, at least, seem to 

 become possible by long practice and grad- 

 ual induration of the muscular system 

 187 



