nnumerable stops. Yesterday it had been 10 deg. below, the day before 10 deg.
above, and now, to-day, 40 deg. below. It is hard to dress for such
changeable weather, especially hard to dress the feet. My own wear, all
the winter through, is a pair of smoke-tanned, moose-hide breeches,
tanned on the Yukon but tailored outside. They are a perfect windbreak,
yet allow ventilation, and they are very warm; but those who perspire
much on exertion cannot wear them. The amount of covering upon the feet
must be varied, in some measure at least, as the temperature changes.
The Esquimau fur boot, with fur on the inside of the sole and on the
outside of the upper, is my favourite footwear, with more or less of
sock inside it as the weather requires; but such sudden changes as we
were experiencing always find one or leave one with too much or too
little footwear. By one-thirty we had struggled to the top of the hill,
and it was very evident that the cabin was out of the question that day;
so, since to pass down into the flat was to pass out of eligible camping
timber, we pitched tent on the brow of the hill.

The cold business of making camp was done, all dispositions for the
night complete, supper for men and dogs was cooked and ours eating, when
we heard a noise in the distance that set our dogs barking and presently
came the boy I had sent back, accompanied by an Indian and a fresh team
loaded with such a bountiful supply of food, much of it cooked, that one
felt it was worth while to get into distress to receive such generous
and prompt succour. The ladies at the mission had sat up and cooked all
night and had despatched the fastest team in the village the next
morning to bring their provisions to us and to help us along. They had
thought us at Tanana when we were not yet at the end of the first day's
stage from Moses' Village. It would have been impossible for us to reach
Tanana on the dog food and man food we started with.

[Sidenote: SIXTY-FIVE BELOW ZERO]

It was so cold and we were so crowded that I arose at three and made a
fire and sat over it the rest of the night, and after breakfast,
although it was Sunday, morning prayer being said, I started ahead again
to break out the trail deeper and wider, leaving the teams with the
distributed loads to follow. The thermometer stood at 38 deg. below zero
when I left camp, but as I began the descent it was evident that it grew
colder, and at the bottom of the hill I was sure it w