WINTER CAMP

Towarp the end of a day in early March, after an
expedition into the trackless country south-east of
Dease Lake, we rejoined the trail and began to
retrace our steps toward Telegraph Creek. Dark-
ness was falling as we slid into a grove of spruce;
the trees were friendly to our snow-tired eyes, and
somewhere a squirrel chattered in the branches.
Each weary team turned to look inquiringly at the
man who trudged behind; when at last the three
sleighs drew up, the dogs sank into the snow,
burying their hot noses and taking great bites to
cool their throats.

We resisted, more by force of habit than by
strength of will, the temptation to throw ourselves
down and rest. In silence our Indian guide unloaded
his sleigh, strapped some sacking and a rifle upon
it, and set off up-wind in search of moose. Left
alone with the job of making camp, we unharnessed
the recumbent dogs and chained each one to his
separate tree at a respectable distance from the spot
chosen for the tent. The harness was hung up on
boughs, and the sleighs unloaded. While one of us
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