consisted in the beginning mostly of oaks, but after three or four
hours' marching it was mostly birch trees. It snowed the whole
day, so it was very heavy marching over the hills; and after seven
leagues, by guess, we arrived at a little house made of bark in the
forest, where we lighted a fire and stopped for the night to sleep.
It went on snowing, with a sharp, northerly wind. It was very cold.

December 27. Early in the morning again on our difficult march,
while the snow lay 2 1/2 feet in some places. We went over hills
and through underwood. We saw traces of two bears, and elks,
but no savages. There are beech trees; and after marching another
seven or eight leagues, at sunset we found another little cabin in the
forest, with hardly any bark, but covered with the branches of trees.
We made a big fire and cooked our dinner. It was so very cold
during this night that I did not sleep more than two hours in all.

December 28. We went as before, and after marching one or two
leagues we arrived at a kill that, as the savages told me, ran into
the land of the Minquaass, and after another mile we met another
kill that runs into the South River, as the savages told me, and here
a good many otter and beaver are caught. This day we went over
many high hills. The wood was full of great trees, mostly birches;
and after seven or eight leagues' marching we did the same as
mentioned above. It was very cold.

December 29. We went again, proceeding on our voyage; and after
marching a while we came on a very high hill, and as we nearly had
mounted it I fell down so hard that I thought I had broken my ribs,
but it was only the handle of my cutlass that was broken. We went
through a good deal of flat land, with many oaks and handles for