ones, and tried how far they
could make them skim out on the lake.

"How I wish we could slide!" exclaimed Nelly, pausing in the midst of
her amusement.

Roy also paused, and appeared to meditate for a minute.

"So you shall," said he quickly. "Come and let us breakfast, and I'll
make you a pair of sliders."

"Sliders! what are they?"

"You shall see; get breakfast ready, a man's fit for nothing without
grub."

While breakfast was preparing, Roy began to fashion wooden soles for his
sister's feet and his own. These he fixed on by means of strips of
deerskin, which were sunk into grooves in the under part of the soles to
prevent them from chafing. Rough and ready they were, nevertheless they
fitted well and tightly to their feet; but it was found that the want of
a joint at the instep rendered it difficult to walk with these soles on,
and impossible to run. Roy's ingenuity, however, soon overcame this
difficulty. He cut the soles through just under the instep, and then,
boring two holes in each part, lashed them firmly together with
deerskin, thus producing a joint or hinge. Eager to try this new
invention, he fastened on his own "sliders" first, and, running down to
the lake, made a rush at the ice and sent himself off with all his
force. Never was boy more taken by surprise; he went skimming over the
surface like a stone from a sling. The other side of the lake seemed to
be the only termination of his journey. "What if it should not be
bearing in the middle!" His delight was evinced by a cheer. It was
echoed, with the addition of a laugh by Nell, who stood in rapt
admiration on the shore. Roy began well, with his legs far apart and
his arms in the air; then he turned round and advanced the wrong way,
then he staggered--tried to recover himself; failed, shouted, cheered
again, and fell flat on his back, and performed the remainder of the
journey in that position!

It was a magnificent slide, and was repeated and continued, with every
possible and conceivable modification, for full two hours, at the end of
which time Nelly said she couldn't take another slide to save her life,
and Roy felt as if every bone in his body were going out of joint.

"This is all very well," said Roy, as they went up to the hut together,
"but it won't do much in the way of getting us a supply of meat or
fish."

"That's true," assented Nelly.

"Well, then," continued Roy, "we'll rest a bit, and then set to work.
It's qu