"Why do you think so?" we ask.
He replies, "Do you see those balsams? They will furnish us with a bed,
and this cluster of dry, dead small trees will give us the wood we need
for our fire." So we quickly set to work to prepare for our all-night
stay in the woods.
The dogs were soon unharnessed, and seemed thankful to get their heads
out of their collars. They were never tied up, neither did they ever
desert us, or take the back track for home. Some of the younger ones
often organised a rabbit hunt on their own responsibility, and had some
sport. The older and wiser ones looked around for the most cosy and
sheltered spots, and there began to prepare their resting-places for the
night. They would carefully scrape away the snow until they came to the
ground, and there, with teeth and paws, would make the spot as smooth
and even as possible. They would then curl themselves up, and patiently
wait until they were called to supper. After unharnessing our dogs, our
next work was with our axes, and there was a good sharp one for the
Missionary, to cut down some of the green balsams and dry dead trees.
Then using our snowshoes as shovels, from the place selected for our
camp we soon scraped away the snow, piling it up as well as we could to
the right, left, and in rear of where we were to sleep. On the ground
thus cleared of snow we spread out a layer of the balsam boughs, and in
front, where the wind would blow the smoke from us, we made up a large
fire with the small dry trees which we had cut down.
On this blazing log fire we put our two kettles, which we had filled
with snow. When it melted down, we refilled the kettles, until enough
water was secured. In the large kettle we boiled a piece of fat meat,
of goodly size, and in the other we made our tea.
On my first trip I carried with me a tin basin, a towel, and a cake of
soap. At our first camp-fire, when the snow had been melted in our
kettle, I asked the guide to give me a little of the water in my basin.
Suspecting the purpose for which I wanted it, he said, "What are you
going to do with it?"
"Wash my face and hands," I replied.