travelling elsewhere. Here was no pleasant hotel
or country tavern in which they could find lodgings. Here were no
hospitable settlers to invite these strangers in to be their guests.
They were preparing to stop out here in the woods all night, where there
was neither hotel nor private dwelling place nearer than the home they
had left now so many miles behind.

No wonder Sam said, as he pulled a piece of ice as big as a pepper
caster off the fur edge of his cap, that had there formed from his
breath:

"This beats all the lodging houses I ever heard of. Faith, and where is
the landlord?"

Alec's practical reply was: "Well, there will be no bill to pay in the
morning, anyway."

"Pay or no pay," said Sam, "I would like to know where we are going to
sleep in such a place as this?"

"And where are we going to eat?" said Frank.

"Wait a little while," said Mr Ross, "and you will see a change that
will astonish you. In the meantime each of you take an axe and see
which of you can first cut down one of those trees. The exercise will
do you good, and then remember," he said with a laugh, "we have no
deadheads on this trip."

Eagerly the boys rushed off to the sleds for their axes, and, putting on
their snowshoes--for the snow was too deep for comfortable work without
them--they were soon busily engaged at what was Gladstone's favourite
exercise. In the meantime the men were hard at work in preparing the
camp. The snow was between three and four feet deep at the place
selected. Using their snowshoes as shovels, they vigorously attacked
the snow and threw it up on two sides and in the rear, making a snow
wall about five feet high on three sides. The two opposite walls were
about twelve feet apart, while the rear wall was perhaps ten feet back
from the front space where the snow was cleared away. Here a great log
heap was soon piled up. Dry splinters and chips were placed under, and
an Indian with his flint and steel soon had it ignited. In a little
while a glorious fire was blazing, lighting up the whole surroundings.
The sun had gone down in splendour and the stars one by one had quickly
come out, and now the whole heavens were aglow with them. On the space
between the snowbanks a heavy layer of the green balsam boughs were
evenly spread. On these the robes and blankets from each sled were
arranged by busy hands, while others attended to various other duties.
Some took large kettles and filled and refilled