ables, to help it out. It was necessary, then, that our
travellers should use all their diligence in laying up a stock of dried
meat, before the winter became too cold for them to hunt. There was
another consideration--their clothing. They all had clothing sufficient
for such weather as they had yet experienced; but that would never do
for the winter of the Great Slave Lake, and they knew it. Many deer must
be killed, and many hides dressed, before they could make a full set of
clothing for all, as well as a set of deer-skin blankets, which would be
much needed.

As soon as the snow-shoes were finished, therefore, Basil and Norman
went out each day upon long hunting expeditions, from which they rarely
returned before nightfall. Sometimes they brought with them a deer, of
the caribou or reindeer species, and the "woodland" variety, which were
in plenty at this place. They only carried to camp the best parts with
the skin, as the flesh of the woodland caribou is not much esteemed. It
is larger than the other kind--the "Barren Ground caribou," weighing
about one hundred and fifty pounds; but both its venison and hide are of
inferior quality to those of the latter species. Sometimes our hunters
killed smaller game; and on several occasions they returned without
having emptied their guns at all.

But there was one day that made up for several--one grand day when they
were extremely successful, and on which they killed a whole herd of
moose, consisting of five individuals--the old bull, a spike buck--that
is, a young buck, whose horns had not yet got antlers upon them--the
cow, and two calves. These they had tracked and followed for a long
distance, and had succeeded, at length, in running them into a valley
where the snow was exceedingly deep, and where the moose became
entangled. There had been a shower of rain the day before that had
melted the surface of the snow; and this had again frozen into an icy
crust, upon which the deer lacerated their ankles at every plunge,
leaving a track of blood behind them as they ran.

Under these circumstances they were easily trailed, and Basil and
Norman, skimming along upon their snow-shoes, soon came up with them,
and shot first one and then another, until the whole herd were stretched
in the valley. They then butchered them, and hung the hides and quarters
upon high branches, so as to secure them from wolves and wolverenes.
When the job was finished, the whole place looked like a gr