Sometimes then, and at other
times when the wickedness in camp was rampant, he would break out in
words of fire--words of fire that soon mingled with, and at last wholly
changed to, words of love and entreaty. The others never resented these
attacks, these living sermons that his overpowering sense of duty and
outraged feeling made him speak. They felt the power of his influence,
and acknowledged his goodness, for it was full of charity. Even Guyon
Vidocq resented not John Bar's corrections. He laughed, uttered another
oath, and took himself away. But, alone, his face grew dark and angry,
for he feared the power of John's goodness, and _hated_ him.

My turn as hunter did not come until December 18, and my companion from
the other house was an old acquaintance of mine in C---. We had been
schoolmates and near neighbours when boys, but since that he had been
away at sea. He was a quiet, amiable young man, and one of the
steadiest in our camp.

Sometimes such an expedition kept the hunters away for the entire week,
and sometimes they would get separated. In either case the night's
shelter was a rough one, and dependent for safety and comfort upon the
man's ingenuity and hardihood. But where two could keep together, both
the labour and danger of those night camps in the snow were lessened.
As game was killed, it was stowed away in what hunters call a _cache_--
that is, a hole for hiding and securing what we wished from the
depredations of wolves and other wild animals; and then the ox-cart,
when it was practicable--but generally, in winter, a sled drawn by
hand--was sent out to bring in the game. My companion, Maine Mallory,
and I started together up the frozen river; we agreed to keep together,
if possible, and for that reason I carried a rifle and he a
double-barrelled shotgun of large bore for throwing buckshot. We were
dressed as warmly as our exercise would allow, and had, strapped on our
backs, blankets and snow-shoes. Besides which, each one's wallet held
five pounds of bread, pepper and salt, powder, shot, and bullets, and
pipe and tobacco, not forgetting the most important of all, flint and
steel. We proposed to follow up a branch of the Ottawa to a lake
south-east of Mount K---, and there hunt with a party of very friendly
Indians, who had a most comfortable camp in a spot near the lake. They
were collecting winter skins to send down by us in the spring for sale
in Montreal. Our first day's journ