as finished on the 1st of September, and not a day too
soon; for on that very day the winter set in with full severity. A
heavy fall of snow came down in the night; and next morning, when our
voyageurs looked abroad, the ground was covered to the depth of a foot,
or more; and the ice upon the lake was also white. Walking through the
great wreaths now became very difficult; and the next thing to be done
was the making of "snow-shoes."

Snow-shoes are an invention of the Indians; and, in the winter of the
Arctic regions of America, are an article almost as indispensable as
clothing itself. Without them, travelling afoot would be impossible.
In these countries, as already stated, the snow often covers the ground
to the depth of many feet; and remains without any considerable
diminution for six, and, in some years, eight or nine months. At times,
it is frozen hard enough on the surface to bear a man without the
snow-shoes; but oftener on account of thaws and fresh falls, it becomes
quite soft, and at such times travelling over it is both difficult and
dangerous. To avoid both the difficulty and the danger, the Indians
make use of this _very_ singular sort of foot-wear--called "snow-shoes"
by the English, and "raquets" by the Canadian voyageurs. They are used
by all the Indian tribes of the Hudson's Bay territory; and were it not
for them these people would be confined to one place for months
together, and could not follow the deer or other game. As almost all
savages are improvident, and none more so than the North American
Indians, were they prevented for a season from going out to hunt, whole
tribes would starve. Indeed, many individuals of them perish with
hunger as it is; and the life of all these Indians is nothing more than
one continued struggle for food enough to sustain them. In summer they
are often in the midst of plenty; slaughtering deer and buffalo by
hundreds, taking out only the tongues, and recklessly leaving the flesh
to the wolves! In winter the very same Indians may be seen without a
pound of meat in their encampment--the lives of themselves and their
families depending upon the success of a single day's hunt!

But let us return to the snow-shoes. Let us see what they are, and
learn how they are made.

Any boy who has snared sparrows in snow-time, has, no doubt, done so by
tying his snares upon a hoop netted across with twine or other small
cord. Now, if he will conceive his hoop bent into