3n 



willow cuttings in the water by the tunnel-entrance 

 when the lake froze over. Fortunately for the 

 colonists, with their scanty supply of food, the 

 winter was a short one, and by the first of April 

 they were able to dig the roots of water plants 

 along the shallow shore where the ice had melted. 

 One settler succumbed during the winter, but 

 by summer the others had commenced work on 

 a permanent house, which was completed before 

 harvest time. 



I had a few glimpses of the harvest-gathering 

 and occasionally saw Flat-top. One evening, while 

 watching the harvesters, I saw three new workers. 

 Three emigrants from somewhere had joined 

 the colonists. A total of fifteen, five of whom 

 were youngsters, went into winter quarters, a 

 large, comfortable house, a goodly supply of food, 

 and a location off the track of trappers. The cold, 

 white days promised only peace. But an unpre- 

 ventable catastrophe came before the winter was 

 half over. 



One night a high wind began to bombard the 

 ice-bound lake with heavy blasts. The force of 

 these intermittent gales suggested that the wind 



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