—{ To CARIEOO AND BACK }-

Nor was that all. Arthur was to have his
chance too. Another deer which they had not
seen sprang out of the brush, and a double
shot laid it low too.

The boys were jubilant; for all the way
down the Fraser it had happened that they saw
no big game.

But as they were already some distance
from the settlement they realized that it was
going to be slow work to drag their deer out
by hand. In fact it would be impossible to do
it through the thick soft snow. So they set to
work to build a kind of rough sled, using poles
of alder bound with grass which they cut from
the tall bunches they found under the cover
of the snow. The woolen sashes they wore to
belt their capotes served as pull ropes for the
vehicle.

After loading up the two deer they were
disappointed to find that it was still hard pull-
ing to drag the sled through. But they tugged
manfully and made some progress homewards,
though it was slow work.

Noon had long passed. The hard tack they
had brought with them was eaten to the last’
crumb, and they thought longingly as they

[184]