LIFE OR DEATH? 207 
During the afternoon preparations were made for the 
journey to the Fort on the following day. The canoes 
were hauled up from the shore, where we had been 
obliged to leave them, and loaded upon two of the dog- 
sleds. Camp outfit and provisions were loaded upon the 
others, and as far as possible everything was put in 
readiness for an early start in the morning. 
A change in the weather was already forecast, the 
wind shifting around to the south, and towards evening 
it became decidedly milder. During the night a rain 
set in, and between it and the warm wind a wonderful 
change was wrought before dawn. It began to look 
very much as if the fates were against us, and that now 
with the sleds and dog-teams we should have no snow 
to travel on. But before daylight camp was astir, and 
finding that enough yet remained, breakfast was par- 
taken of by the light of the camp-fire and at the first 
streaks of dawn the journey on sleds to Churchill was 
begun. 
Out of the woods there was comparatively little of 
the snow left. Under cover of the trees it was still 
deep, but too soft and heavy for the teams, so we kept 
along on the open plains between the woods and the 
shore, and made fair progress. 
The arrangement of our party was as follows: As 
guide an Indian named James Westasecot led the way 
some distance ahead of the train. Next after him came 
a team of six big Eskimo dogs hitched two and two 
abreast to a long sled carrying the big canoe, in which 
Michel was given a passage. Following this team was 
another hauling the smaller canoe, in which I was rolled 
