THROUGH THE FOREST AND HOME AGAIN. 245 
Since leaving the banks of the Hays River no timber 
of any value had been seen. The wood had all been 
black spruce of a very scrubby character, but now pop- 
lar, birch and jack-pine were occasionally met with. 
On December the 4th the temperature ran down to 
34 degrees below zero, but on the following day this 
record was beaten, and 40 degrees below was registered. 
In this low temperature we naturally found some 
difficulty in keeping warm. When the day’s tramp was 
over, and our position taken for the night beside the 
camp-fire, it was found necessary either to slowly re- 
volve or frequently reverse our position. It was a 
question of roasting or freezing, or rather doing both 
at the same time. While one’s face was turned to the 
fire and enduring a roasting heat, his back was freez- 
ing, and as the position was reversed the roasting and 
freezing process was also reversed. Our meals, after 
being prepared, were served up on the hot pan to keep 
them warm while eating, but even so they were some- 
times frozen to the frying pan before they could be 
disposed of. 
During the afternoon of the 4th and the morning 
of the 5th of December we crossed Deer Lake, twenty- 
seven miles in length, and at either end of the lake 
found camps of Indians. From one of them we pur- 
chased some fine whitefish, which they were catching 
through the ice. 
By this time our guide Charlie had fecome pretty 
badly used up by the march. He was no longer able 
to hold the lead, but our own men managed to keep 
the track and Charlie hobbled along behind 
