80 



THE ARCTIC PRAIRIES 



Pierre proved a pleasant and intelligent companion; 

 he did his best, but more than once shook his head and 

 said: "Chevaux no good." 



We covered 15 miles before 

 night, and all day we got glimpses 

 of some animal on our track, 300 

 yards behind in the woods. It 

 might easily have been a Wolf, but 

 at night he sneaked into camp — 

 a forlorn and starving Indian dog. 

 Next day we reached the long- 

 looked-for Little Buffalo River. 

 Several times of late Pierre had 

 commented on the slowness of our 

 horses and enlarged on the awful 

 muskegs that covered the coun- 

 try west of the Little Buffalo. 

 Now he spoke out frankly and 

 said we had been 2J days coming 

 40 miles when the road was good ; 

 we were now coming to very bad 

 roads and had to go as far again. 

 These horses could not do it, and get 

 him back to Fort Smith for July 1 

 —and back at any price he must be. 

 He was willing to take the whole outfit half a day 

 farther westward, or, if we preferred it, he would go 

 afoot or on horseback with the pick of the men and 

 horses for a hasty dash forward ; but to take the whole 

 outfit on to the Buffalo country and get back on time 

 was not possible. 



Unifolium 



