tinue their
journey. This proposal took the others by surprise, but they were all
just in the frame of mind to entertain and discuss it; and a long
consultation was held upon the point. Francois chimed in with the
proposal at once; while Lucien, more cautious, did not exactly oppose,
but rather offered the reasons that were against it, and pointed out the
perils of the undertaking. Norman, of course, was appealed to--all of
them looking to him as one whose advice, upon that question at least,
was more valuable than their own.

Norman admitted the dangers pointed out by Lucien, but believed that
they might overcome them by a proper caution. On the whole, Norman
approved of the plan, and it was at length adopted. Perhaps Norman's
habitual prudence was to some extent influenced on this occasion by the
very natural desire he had of returning to what he considered his home.
He had now been absent nearly two years, and was desirous of once more
seeing his father and his old companions at the Fort. There was another
feeling that influenced nearly all of them: that was _ambition_. They
knew that to make such a journey would be something of a feat, and they
wished to have the credit of performing it. To minds like that of
Basil, even the danger had something attractive in it. It was resolved
then to break up the encampment, and continue their journey.

CHAPTER TWENTY NINE.

TRAVELLING ON SNOW-SHOES.

Once their resolution was taken, they lost but little time in making
preparations to carry it out. Most of the articles required for such a
journey were already in their hands. They had the proper dresses--
snow-shoes, skin-blankets, and gloves. They had prepared for themselves
sets of "snow spectacles." These were made out of red cedar-wood. Each
pair consisted of two small thin pieces, that covered the eyes, joined
together and fastened on by thongs of buckskin. In each piece an oblong
slit served for the eye-hole, through which the eye looked without being
dazzled by the snow. Without this, or some like contrivance, travelling
in the Arctic regions is painful to the eyes, and the traveller often
loses his sight. Indeed, one of the most common infirmities of both the
Indians and Esquimaux of these parts is blindness or soreness of the
eyes, caused by the reflexion of the sunbeams from the crystals of the
frozen snow. Norman was aware of this, and had made the spectacles to
guard against this peril. Out o