ght beat them off, they
would probably surround us, and come again and again till they starved
us out, or compelled us to retreat at a disadvantage. The moving our
provisions and baggage was our great difficulty. Still, the general
opinion was, that it would be better to move on at once. Laban Ragget
at last stood up, and gave the casting vote.

"You see, friends," said he, "where there's a will there's a way.
That's been my notion through life. Where I've had the will to do, mind
you, what ought to be done, I've never failed to find the way. I've
fought the red-skins often, and I'd fight them again, if need be, with
pleasure; but I don't want to expose the women and children to the
chances of a battle with them; and so I say we'll move on. We'll put
runners to the wagons, and make snowshoes for ourselves, and by
to-morrow evening we'll be ready for a start. Then we'll lie down and
rest, and by early dawn we'll be on foot and away. Meantime, some of
the young men will keep a lookout round the camp, to watch that we are
not taken by surprise."

I give Laban's speech entire, because his proposals were carried out to
the letter. All agreed and, literally, I do not believe that a minute
had passed before everybody was busily engaged in preparing for our
departure. Some were making snow-shoes; others runners for the sleighs;
others packing our goods and provisions in small, light parcels easily
carried; the women were as active as the men, and several were cooking
and preparing the flesh of the bear we had killed the night before, by
making it into pemmican. Mrs Noggin was very useful in making
show-shoes, and so was the old Indian. His name, by the bye, was
Wabassem-mung, or the White Dog, and to prove his title to the name, he
would set up a barking, which no one could have supposed was from the
voice of a human being. He had only about twenty followers, all the
rest of his tribe having been treacherously murdered by the Flintheads,
against whom he had now come to warn us. He wore a white mantle, as
appropriate to his name, or, probably, he obtained his name from his
fancy for wearing a white mantle; at least, one that was white by
courtesy, for it had become so smoke-dried and stained, that its
original purity was considerably damaged. Our venerable friend assured
us that there was no chance of the Flintheads attacking us that night,
and that we might, therefore, sleep in peace, because his own people
wer