n opening above him; but he was afraid to move lest he might
bring the snow down upon his head. Sheltered from the wind, he felt
tolerably warm, and at last, in spite of his perilous position, he fell
fast asleep.

CHAPTER EIGHT.

LAURENCE IN THE SNOW--DISCOVERED BY CREES--RESCUED--CONVEYED TO THE
CHIEF'S TENT--KINDNESS OF THE OLD CHIEF--ESCORTED TO THE FORT--FEARS AS
TO HIS RECEPTION--KINDLY WELCOMED BY MR. RAMSAY--LAURENCE AGAIN FALLS
SICK--MRS. RAMSAY EXPLAINS THE GOSPEL TO HIM--LAURENCE BEGINS TO
UNDERSTAND IT.

Daylight came again. Laurence, on opening his eyes, found himself
surrounded by a high wall of snow. He was hungry, but he had consumed
every particle of food. His strength was almost gone. He somewhat
assuaged his thirst by eating a little snow, though that gave him but
momentary relief. Again he made an attempt to get out, hoping by
beating down the snow to form steps in the side of the wall up which he
might climb, but the snow came sliding down in vast masses upon him, and
by the time he had struggled out of it he felt so weak that he was
unable to make any further effort. With a cry of despair he fell back
on the heap which had been formed by the snow slipping down, and out of
which he had just made his way. For some minutes he was unconscious.
Then the barking of dogs once more aroused him. The sound of human
voices struck his ear. He listened with breathless anxiety to hear the
language they spoke. They drew near. "I am lost if they find me," he
said to himself. "They are Crees." Directly afterwards, several dogs
poked their noses over the edge of the pit and barked to attract the
attention of their masters. He waited, expecting in a few minutes to be
put to death. Then, casting his eyes upwards, he saw the faces of two
savages looking down upon him. He knew them at once to be Crees. He
tried to speak--not to ask their pity, for that he believed would be
useless, but, after the Indian fashion, to dare them to do their worst.
His tongue, however, refused its office. Presently he saw them
beginning to scrape away the snow; and as they commenced at the top,
they were soon able to form some rough steps in the side of the pit,
down which one of them descended. Laurence closed his eyes, expecting
to have the scalp cut from his head. Instead of that the Cree lifted
him in his arms, and, with the assistance of his companion, soon brought
him to the surface. Making a wide circuit,