rning on his heel re-entered the tent and
continued his pipe, while Harry flung himself down beside Charley under
the bark canoe.

This species of "tent" is, however, by no means a perfect one. An
Indian canoe is seldom three feet broad--frequently much narrower--so
that it only affords shelter for the body as far down as the waist,
leaving the extremities exposed. True, one _may_ double up as nearly as
possible into half one's length, but this is not a desirable position to
maintain throughout an entire night. Sometimes, when the weather is
_very_ bad, an additional protection is procured by leaning several
poles against the bottom of the canoe, on the weather side, in such a
way as to slope considerably over the front; and over these are spread
pieces of birch bark or branches and moss, so as to form a screen, which
is an admirable shelter. But this involves too much time and labour to
be adopted during a voyage, and is only done when the travellers are
under the necessity of remaining for some time in one place.

The canoe in which Harry arrived was a pretty large one, and looked so
comfortable when arranged for the night that Charley resolved to abandon
his own tent and Mr Park's society, and sleep with his friend.

"I'll sleep with you, Harry, my boy," said he, after Harry had explained
to him in detail the cause of his being sent away from Red River; which
was no other than that a young gentleman, as Mr Park said, who _was_ to
have gone, had been ordered elsewhere.

"That's right, Charley; spread out our blankets, while I get some
supper, like a good fellow." Harry went in search of the kettle while
his friend prepared their bed. First, he examined the ground on which
the canoe lay, and found that the two Indians had already taken
possession of the only level places under it. "Humph!" he ejaculated,
half inclined to rouse them up, but immediately dismissed the idea as
unworthy of a voyageur. Besides, Charley was an amiable, unselfish
fellow, and would rather have lain on the top of a dozen stumps than
have made himself comfortable at the expense of any one else.

He paused a moment to consider. On one side was a hollow "that" (as he
soliloquised to himself) "would break the back of a buffalo." On the
other side were a dozen little stumps surrounding three very prominent
ones, that threatened destruction to the ribs of any one who should
venture to lie there. But Charley did not pause to consider lon