."

After the long period of clear, open weather, the delayed snow
came. It began to fall one evening at twilight, when both boys
were snug in the cabin, and it came in a very gentle, soothing
way, as if it meant no harm whatever. Big, soft flakes fell as
softly as the touch of down, but every time the boys looked out
they were still coming in the same gentle but persistent way.
The next morning the big flakes still came down and all that day
and all the next night. When the snow stopped it lay five feet
deep on the level, and uncounted feet deep in the gullies and
canyons.

"We're snowed in," said Albert in some dismay, "and we can't go
to our traps. Why, this is likely to last a month!"

"We can't walk through it," said Dick meditatively, "but we can
walk on it. We've got to make snowshoes. They're what we need."

"Good!" said Albert with enthusiasm. "Let's get to work at
once."

Deep snows fall in Illinois, and both, in their earlier boyhood,
had experimented for the sake of sport with a crude form of
snowshoe. Now they were to build upon this slender knowledge,
for the sake of an immediate necessity, and it was the hardest
task that they had yet set for themselves. Nevertheless, it was
achieved, like the others.

They made a framework of elastic stripes of ash bent in the
well-known shape of the snowshoe, which bears some resemblance
to the shape of the ordinary shoe, only many times larger and
sharply pointed at the rear end. Its length was between five and
six feet, and the ends were tightly wound with strips of hide.
This frame was bent into the shoe shape after it had been soaked
in boiling water.

Then they put two very strong strips of hide across the front
part of the framework, and in addition passed at least a half
dozen stout bands of hide from strip to strip.

Then came the hard task of attaching the shoe to the foot of the
boy who was to wear it. The ball of the foot was set on the
second crosspiece and the foot was then tied there with a broad
strip of hide which passed over the instep and was secured behind
the ankle. It required a good deal of practice to fasten the
foot so it would not slip up and down; and also in such a manner
that the weight of the shoe would be proportioned to it properly.

They had to exercise infinite patience before two pairs of
snowshoes were finished. There was much hunting in deep snow
for proper wood, many strips and some good hide were spoiled,