"Yes, sir, that suits me fine," replied be promptly, and in a tone
that left no doubt of the fact that he was glad to go.

"Well, this is Thursday. I'll write my letters tomorrow, and you may
go on Saturday."

"All right, sir."

The letters were all written and ready for Duncan on Friday night, and
he packed sufficient provisions into a waterproof bag I gave him to
carry him out, and prepared for an early start in the morning. But
the rain that had been falling for several days still poured down on
Saturday, and he decided to postpone his departure another day in the
hope of better weather on Sunday. He needed the time anyway to mend
his sealskin boots before starting back, for he had pretty nearly worn
them out on the sharp rocks on the portages. The rest of us were well
provided with oil-tanned moccasins (sometimes called larigans or shoe-
packs), which I have found are the best footwear for a journey like
ours. Pete's khaki trousers were badly torn; and Richards and Easton,
who wore Mackinaw trousers, were in rags. This cloth had not
withstood the hard usage of Labrador travel a week, and both men, when
they bad a spare hour, occupied it in sewing on canvas patches, until
now there was almost as much canvas patch as Mackinaw cloth in these
garments. Richards, however, carried an extra pair of moleskin
trousers, and I wore moleskin. This latter material is the best
obtainable, so far as my experience goes, for rough traveling in the
bush, and my trousers stood the trip with but one small patch until
winter came.