mes pieds: la neige congelee venant a s'amollir, tomboit et s'enfoncoit
par esquarres ou grandes pieces, et nous en auions bien souuent iusques
aux genoux, quelquefois iusqu'a la ceinture. Que s'il y auoit de la
peine a tomber, il y en auoit encor plus a se retirer: car nos raquettes
se chargeoient de neiges et se rendoient si pesantes, que quand vous
veniez a les retirer il vous sembloit qu'on vous tiroit les iambes pour
vous demembrer. I'en ay veu qui glissoient tellement soubs des souches
enseuelies soubs la neige, qu'ils ne pouuoient tirer ny iambes ny
raquettes sans secours: or figurez vous maintenant vne personne chargee
comme vn mulet, et iugez si la vie des Sauuages est douce."--Relation,
1634, 67. ]

This usually occupied about three hours, during which Le Jeune, spent
with travel, and weakened by precarious and unaccustomed fare, had the
choice of shivering in idleness, or taking part in a labor which fatigued,
without warming, his exhausted frame. The sorcerer's wife was in far
worse case. Though in the extremity of a mortal sickness, they left her
lying in the snow till the wigwam was made,--without a word, on her part,
of remonstrance or complaint. Le Jeune, to the great ire of her husband,
sometimes spent the interval in trying to convert her; but she proved
intractable, and soon died unbaptized.

Thus lodged, they remained so long as game could be found within a
circuit of ten or twelve miles, and then, subsistence failing, removed to
another spot. Early in the winter, they hunted the beaver and the Canada
porcupine; and, later, in the season of deep snows, chased the moose and
the caribou.

Put aside the bear-skin, and enter the hut. Here, in a space some
thirteen feet square, were packed nineteen savages, men, women, and