rmfuls of dry branches, Noel took off
his snow-shoes and began with one of them to shovel away the snow in a
semicircle around the base of the stub. In a short half-hour he had a
deep hole there, with the snow banked up around it to the height of his
head. Next with his knife he cut a lot of light poles and scrub spruces
and, sticking the butts in his snowbank, laid the tops, like the sticks
of a wigwam, firmly against the big stub. A few armfuls of spruce boughs
shingled over this roof, and a few minutes' work shoveling snow thickly
upon them to hold them in place and to make a warm covering; then a
doorway, or rather a narrow tunnel, just beyond the stub on the straight
side of the semicircle, and their _commoosie_ was all ready. Let the
storm roar and the snow sift down! The thicker it fell the warmer would
be their shelter. They laughed and shouted now as they scurried out and
in, bringing boughs for a bed and the fire-wood which Mooka had
gathered.

Against the base of the dry stub they built their fire,--a wee, sociable
little fire such as an Indian always builds, which is far better than a
big one, for it draws you near and welcomes you cheerily, instead of
driving you away by its smoke and great heat. Soon the big stub itself
began to burn, glowing steadily with a heat that filled the snug little
_commoosie_, while the smoke found its way out of the hole in the roof
which Noel had left for that purpose. Later the stub burned through to
its hollow center, and then they had a famous chimney, which soon grew
hot and glowing inside, and added its mite to the children's comfort.

Noel and Mooka were drowsy now; but before the long night closed in upon
them they had gathered more wood, and laid aside some wisps of birch
bark to use when they should wake, cold and shivering, and find their
little fire gone out and the big stub losing its cheery glow. Then they
lay down to rest, and the night and the storm rolled on unheeded.

Towards morning they fell into a heavy sleep; for the big stub began to
burn more freely as the wind changed, and they need not stir every half
hour to feed their little fire and keep from freezing. It was broad
daylight, the storm had ceased, and a woodpecker was hammering loudly on
a hollow shell over their heads when they started up, wondering vaguely
where they were. Then while Noel broke out of the _commoosie_, which was
fairly buried under the snow, to find out where he was, Mooka rebuilt