strange to say, these creatures, who are as cunning as foxes, and can
hardly be trapped, can yet be deceived and frightened by such a simple
thing as a bladder dangling from a branch.

The moose proved to be one of the largest of his kind. His height was
quite equal to that of a horse; and his horns, flattened out to the
breadth of shovels, weighed over sixty pounds. His carcass was not less
than fifteen hundred pounds weight; and our voyageurs had to make two
journeys to convey the meat to their camp. On the last journey, Francois
brought the porcupine as well--having found it on the very same tree
where Basil had left it!

CHAPTER XXVI.

LIFE IN A LOG-HUT.

The log-hut was finished on the 1st of September, and not a day too
soon; for on that very day the winter set in with full severity. A heavy
fall of snow came down in the night; and next morning, when our
voyageurs looked abroad, the ground was covered to the depth of a foot,
or more; and the ice upon the lake was also white. Walking through the
great wreaths now became very difficult; and the next thing to be done
was the making of "snow-shoes."

Snow-shoes are an invention of the Indians; and, in the winter of the
Arctic regions of America, are an article almost as indispensable as
clothing itself. Without them, travelling afoot would be impossible. In
these countries, as already stated, the snow often covers the ground to
the depth of many feet; and remains without any considerable diminution
for six, and, in some years, eight or nine months. At times, it is
frozen hard enough on the surface to bear a man without the snow-shoes;
but oftener on account of thaws and fresh falls, it becomes quite soft,
and at such times travelling over it is both difficult and dangerous. To
avoid both the difficulty and the danger, the Indians make use of this
very singular sort of foot-wear--called "snow-shoes" by the English, and
"raquets" by the Canadian voyageurs.

They are used by all the Indian tribes of the Hudson's Bay territory;
and were it not for them these people would be confined to one place for
months together, and could not follow the deer or other game. As almost
all savages are improvident, and none more so than the North American
Indians, were they prevented for a season from going out to hunt, whole
tribes would starve. Indeed, many individuals of them perish with hunger
as it is; and the life of all these Indians is nothing more than one
continu