only just open his
eyes and utter a few words in a low voice. Pat had been very attentive
in feeding him with small mouthfuls of soup at a time--the best thing he
could do.

Poor Alick could take nothing, though he was thankful to have his lips
moistened with cold water. Robin and I felt very anxious about their
condition, but we did not let them see this, and endeavoured to keep up
their spirits and our own. The fresh meat we had brought was of great
benefit to Martin, as Pat could make better soup with it than he had
before been able to do with the dry venison. The next day we were all
too much alarmed about Alick even to leave the wigwam; indeed, for
several days he seemed to hang between life and death, till a turn came,
and he began slowly to mend--so slowly, though, that we gave up all
hopes of continuing our voyage. Martin got better rather more rapidly,
and was at length able to assist in attending to Alick. He did so with
the greatest care. He was aware of the gallant way, with the fearful
risk of losing his own life, in which Alick had saved his.

The Indian summer--that period between the first breaking up of the real
summer weather and the setting in of the frost--lasted but a few days.
The leaves of the trees changed from green to varied tints of red,
brown, yellow, and purple, hanging but a short time, and the first icy
winds brought them in showers to the ground.

One morning, when we looked out of our wigwam, the whole face of nature
was changed. The boughs of the trees were bending with the snow, and
the country on every side was covered with a sheet of white. By closing
the entrance of our wigwam, and keeping a fire constantly burning, we
maintained a sufficient heat in the interior. The severe frost,
however, of that northern region had not yet commenced; but come it
would, we knew, and we talked earnestly of the means we must take to
enable us to encounter it. Robin and I had been pretty successful with
our guns, and we had kept our party well supplied with game. We had
killed two more deer, and should have been glad to fall in with three or
four bears for the sake of their skins; but, except that of the bear
Alick had killed, we had no other. Still, we had reason to be thankful
that we had deerskins sufficient to clothe all the party.

As Martin got better he employed himself in making some small nets of
wattap, of which we obtained a plentiful supply. He had also
manufactured ano