270 



A JOURNEY TO THE SHORES 



more than once, that we heard a rustling noise like that of autum- 

 nal leaves stirred by the wind ; but after two hours of attentive 

 listening, we were not entirely convinced of the fact. The corus- 

 cations were not so bright, nor the transition from one shape and 

 colour to another so rapid, as they sometimes are ; otherwise, I have 

 no doubt, from the midnight silence which prevailed, that we should 

 have ascertained this yet undecided point. 



The morning of the 20th was so extremely hazy that we could 

 not see ten yards before us ; it was, therefore, late when we started, 

 and during our journey the hunters complained of the weather, 

 and feared they should lose the track of our route. Towards the 

 evening it became so thick that we could not proceed, consequently 

 we halted in a small wood, situated in a valley, after having only 

 completed a distance of six miles. 



The scenery consisted of high hills, which were almost destitute 

 of trees, and lakes appeared in the valleys. The cracking of the 

 ice was so loud during the night as to resemble thunder, and the 

 wolves howled round us. We were now at the commencement of 

 the woods, and at an early hour, on the 21st, continued our jour- 

 ney over high hills for three miles, when the appearance of some 

 deer caused us to halt, and nearly the remainder of the day was passed 

 in hunting them. In the evening we stopped within sight of Pros- 

 pect Hill, after having killed and concealed six deer. A consider- 

 able quantity of snow fell during the night. 



The surrounding country was extremely rugged ; the hills divided 

 by deep ravines, and the valleys covered with broken masses of rocks 

 and stones; yet the deer fly (as it were,) over these impediments 

 with apparent ease, seldom making a false step, and springing from 

 crag to crag with all the safety of the mountain goat. After passing 

 Rein-deer Lake, (where the ice was so thin as to bend at every step 

 for nine miles,) we halted, perfectly satisfied with our escape from 

 sinking into the water. While some of the party were forming the 



