me from? They had had a temporary relief, and
while their strength lasted, they must use every effort to procure a
further supply. The valley in which their new camp was placed looked
well for game. It was a sort of oasis in the Barren Grounds. There was
a lake and a considerable skirting of timber around it--consisting, as
we have said, of willows, poplars, spruce-pine, and dwarf birch-trees
(_Betula nana_). The Alpine arbutus, whose berries are the food of many
species of animals, also grew upon the side of the hills; and the
Labrador tea-plant (_Ledum palustre_) was found upon the low ground
around the lake. The leaves of this last is a favourite food of the
Polar hare, and our voyageurs had no doubt but that there were many of
these animals in the neighbourhood. Indeed, they had better evidence
than conjecture, for they saw numerous hare-tracks in the snow. There
were tracks of other animals too, for it is a well-known fact that where
one kind exists, at least two or three others will be found in the same
habitat--all being connected together by a "chain of destruction."

A singular illustration of this was afforded to Lucien, who remained at
the camp while the rest went out hunting. He had gathered some of the
leaves of the Labrador tea, and was drying them over the coals,
intending to cheer his comrades with a cup of this beverage after
supper. The hare-soup was boiling, and the "cook" sat listening to the
cheerful sounds that issued from the pot--now and then taking off the
lid to examine its savoury contents, and give them a stir. He would
then direct his attention to the tea-leaves that were parching in the
frying-pan; and, having shifted them a little, felt himself at liberty
to look about for a minute or two.

On one of these occasions, while glancing up, his attention was
attracted to an object which appeared upon the snow at a short distance
from where he sat. A wreath of snow, that had formed under the shelter
of the hill, extended all around its base, presenting a steep front in
every direction. This front was only two or three feet in height; but
the top surface of the wreath was many yards wide--in fact, it extended
back until it became blended with the slope of the hill. It was smooth
and nearly level, but the hill above was steep, and somewhat rough and
rocky. The steep front of the wreath came down within half-a-dozen
paces of the fire where Lucien was seated; and it was upon the top o