time they had crossed
this, the sun was going down.

The men watched for a sheltered place to camp and as soon as they
found one, they threw off the trail to the edge of the woods, drawing
up the sledge back of them as a wind-break. They gathered pine for
fuel and cut balsam boughs for beds. It had come on to snow, and they
ate supper with their backs to the drive of the flakes, the hoods of
their furs drawn over their heads.

The dogs sat round in a half-circle watching them and the frozen fish
thawing before the fire. Their faces, tilted a little sideways, ears
cocked and eyes bright, looked anxiously expectant. When the fish were
half-thawed, Morse tossed them by turn to the waiting animals, who
managed to get rid of their supper with a snap and a gulp. Afterward
they burrowed down in the snow and fell asleep.

On the blazing logs Beresford had put two kettles filled with snow.
These he refilled after the snow melted, until enough water was in
them. Into one kettle he put a piece of fat caribou meat. The other
was to make tea.

Using their snowshoes as shovels, they scraped a place clear and
scattered balsam boughs on it. On this they spread an empty flour
sack, cut open at the side. Tin plates and cups served as dish.

Their supper consisted of soggy bannocks, fat meat, and tea. While
they ate, the snow continued to fall. It was not unwelcome, for so
long as this lasted the cold could not be intolerable. Moreover,
snow makes a good white blanket and protects against sudden drops in
temperature.

They changed their moccasins and duffles and pulled on as night-wear
long buffalo-skin boots, hood, mufflers, and fur mits. A heavy fur
robe and a blanket were added. Into these last they snuggled down,
wrapping themselves up so completely that a tenderfoot would have
smothered for lack of air.

Before they retired, they could hear the ice on the lake cracking like
distant thunder. The trees back of them occasionally snapped from the
cold with reports that sounded like pistol shots.

In five minutes both men were asleep. They lay with their heads
entirely covered, as the Indians did. Not once during the night did
they stir. To disarrange their bedding and expose the nose or the
hands to the air would be to risk being frozen.

Morse woke first. He soon had a roaring fire. Again there were two
kettles on it, one for fat meat and the other for strong tea. No
fish were thawing before the heat, for dogs are fed only