AN AUTUMN JOURNEY 97 



heavy fall of snow, blanketing the ice with a foot or more 

 of light flakes. This snow blanket keeps the winter cold 

 away from the river ice better than an eiderdown quilt 

 or a fur robe. It now makes little difference how cold 

 the air is above the snow, if the water running under the 

 ice is a little bit above the freezing point. If that is the 

 case, the current will gradually eat away the ice that was 

 formed until there remains only a scum of ice to support 

 the snow above it. In some cases even this scum of ice 

 is eaten away by the current and then the snow drops 

 down into the open water, feaving a gaping hole which 

 can be seen from a distance and which can, therefore, be 

 avoided. However, when an actual hole appears the frost 

 gets another chance, so that it will not be many hours 

 until clear ice perfectly safe to walk upon forms over 

 that particular patch. The danger places, therefore, are 

 not where any danger sign is visible, but where the snow 

 in front of you lies white and apparently safe. 



In later years of travel in the North I have heard story 

 after story of the most experienced Indians being drowned 

 in the northern rivers and in those northern lakes where 

 there are currents. In big lakes, such as Great Bear or 

 Great Slave, strong currents are occasionally developed, 

 possibly through tidal influence. Far from shore these 

 are not dangerous, but in the vicinity of a point of land 

 the traveler on the northern lakes should be exceedingly 

 careful. Though the ice of Great Bear Lake, for instance, 

 may be ten feet thick in places, there are other places 

 where men and sleds will disappear suddenly through the 

 snow because the ice that formed before the snow fell 

 has since been eaten away. This is a type of danger to 

 which the Eskimos are far less exposed than the Indians, 

 for the Eskimos mainly keep to the seacoast. When 



