ON SNOWSHOES AND DOG-SLEDS. 223 
time the big dry sticks of wood were thrown upon the 
fire, showers of sparks ascended until they found hiding- 
places among the dark branches of the overhanging 
spruce trees. 
Camp-fire stories and gossip were indulged in for an 
hour, then several logs were thrown upon the fire, 
and each man, rolled up in his blanket and with feet 
toward the fire, lay down to sleep. There was little 
sleep for me, however, because of my knee, which gave 
me great pain during the night. 
The next morning camp was called at five o'clock, and 
under the still star-lit sky all hands rolled out into the 
keen frosty morning air. At the first streak of dawn, 
after breakfast and other preliminaries, our march was 
resumed. 
It was yet dark in the woods, and to most of us there 
was no more indication of a trail in one place than in 
another, but our veteran guide, who possessed all the 
sagacity of the ideal red-man, led the way, and all the 
rest of us had to do was merely to follow his tracks. 
Soon we merged from the Eastern Woods, and getting 
into more open country, turned our course toward the 
south, crossing broad plains, diversified here and there 
by stunted, scattered trees, ice-covered ponds, and occa- 
sionally the thickly wooded valley of a winding stream. 
As we travelled on my leg caused me intense pain, so 
that it became impossible to keep up with the train. I 
hobbled along as well as I could for a time, but finding 
that I was seriously retarding the progress of the march, 
arrangements were made to give me a lift on one of the 
sleds. Pierre and Louis were also becoming lame from 
