ur as those of his
people are compelled to do, while he sat still in dignified idleness.
He did not gain many friends by his remarks, among the gentler sex of
our party. A sheltered platform, surrounded by rocks on the mountain
side, had been described by Short, and fixed on for our resting-place.

Up, up, up, we worked our way. At last we reached it, pretty well
worn-out. I never felt my legs ache so much before. It had not a very
inviting aspect when we were there. It had, however, a great advantage,
as from its position it might easily be defended, should we be pursued
and attacked by the Flintheads. Having driven our sleighs on to it, we
set about the business of encamping. As usual, we placed the sleighs in
a circle, so as to form a breastwork, with the cattle inside it. The
side of the mountain was covered with pine trees. We cut down a number
of these, at least, so much of them as appeared above the snow, and
having beaten hard a large circle in the centre of the camp, by walking
over it with our snow-shoes, we placed them side by side so as to form a
large platform. On this we piled up all the branches and logs we could
collect dry and green, and set the mass on fire. The platform, it will
be understood, served as our hearthstone, and kept the burning embers
off the snow. Otherwise, they would quickly have burned out a cavern,
into which they would have sunk and disappeared. We required, as may be
supposed, a large fire for so numerous a party, and it was a curious
sight to watch the different countenances of the travellers, as we sat
round it eagerly discussing our evening meal. We did not neglect the
usual precautions to prevent a surprise, and two of the young men at a
time took post as sentinels a little way down the mountain, to give
timely notice of the approach of a foe. After supper, all the party
sang a hymn, led by Laban Ragget, and very sweet and solemn were the
notes as they burst through the night air, and echoed among those rocks,
never before, too probably, awakened to sounds of praise and
thanksgiving.

"It's an old custom of mine," said Laban to me, "when I cannot expound
to my family, or hold forth in prayer as usual. If, Dick, we didn't
keep up our religious customs very strictly in the back settlements, we
should soon, as many do, become no better than heathens."

As I had been on my legs for the best part of the last two days and
nights, I was excused doing sentry's duty, a