softest and cleanest deer skin was most courteously offered to the
guest, and he passed the night very comfortably, truly thankful for the
accommodation thus afforded him, and without which he must have suffered
greatly from exposure to the weather, for the snow fell fast during
several hours."

At this point of her narrative Mrs. Ward rang for a candle, and desired
the servant to bring her writing desk. "I shall find there," she said,
"the original MS. given me by my dear husband on his return from this
journey. He wrote it amid much difficulty, for very frequently the ink
would freeze in spite of all the precautions he took. Paper, too, was
very scanty, and had it not been for boxes, containing a supply of this
article, which had been washed on shore from different wrecks, he would
have found it impossible to procure enough for the purpose. Anxious,
however, to preserve a diary of each day's proceedings, he persevered to
the best of his power, and the result was this scroll, now discoloured
by age, and some of the leaves a good deal torn, but the hand is clear
and legible throughout. I think you will like to have me read you
a short extract, giving an account of a very dangerous part of his
expedition. But, in the first place, I should mention that, when
travelling into the interior, he was obliged to walk in Indian rackets,
or snow-shoes, a very difficult matter to one unaccustomed to their
use."

"Why difficult, grandma? I thought snow-shoes kept you from slipping,
and made it much easier to walk in winter."

[Illustration]

"The snow-shoes of which I speak, my dear, are very different from