e degradation and
superstitions of a cruel paganism into the blessedness and enjoyments of
a genuine Christianity and an abiding civilisation.

The time quickly sped by. They had some earnest chat, a few delightful
hymns and songs of the homeland, and then a brief but earnest prayer for
Heaven's blessing on loved ones far away, upon themselves in that land
and their different work, and also upon the Indians.

Then the dogs were roused, the carioles arranged, and the passengers
were soon all aboard. The boys took their places firmly standing on the
tailboards of the sleds that projected in the rear. Grasping the tail-
ropes, with which they held themselves on and guided their carioles,
simultaneously they cried, "Marche!" and with a spring they were all off
together.

They had three splendid trains and were not badly matched for a short
spurt. So amidst shoutings and laughter in the beautiful gloaming of
that lovely evening they fairly flew over the icy expanse of Playgreen
Lake. But blood will tell, and it was soon evident that although Alec
had Mr Ross as his passenger, and therefore the heaviest load of the
three, he was surely forging ahead. With those long, houndlike legs,
these round-barrelled, small-headed, keen-eyed dogs need not take any
second place in that crowd, and so it is that, catching the enthusiasm
of the hour, and springing in unison with each other, they respond to
Alec's cheery call, and seem to pick themselves up and so fly over the
rest of the route to Sagasta-weekee that, in placing them, all that
could be said was, "Alec first, the rest nowhere."

"Well done, Alec," said Mr Ross, as he sprang out of the cariole. "If
you equal the speed of the last two or three miles in the race with the
trains of the village and the fort, I think the blue ribbon of first
place will be yours. But where is your cap?"

Happy Alec! He had been so excited with the splendid speed of his dogs,
and the perfect unison of their movements, that he did not seem to be
conscious of the fact that the capote of his overcoat was hanging down
his back and that his cap had left him a mile or two back on the ice.
However, his abundant curly locks had been sufficient for him during the
excitement of that blood-stirring race. He speedily pulled up the
capote over his head, and Sam, who had seen his cap fall and had hastily
snatched it up as his cariole flew by, now came up and restored it to
him.

Frank, with the chil