are, with every landmark hidden, you couldn't find the tent again. I
don't want to lose you yet. Go back and sleep."

Later in the morning to my great relief the weather cleared, and
Richards and Pete were at once dispatched to scout. We who remained
"at home," as we called our camp, found plenty of work to keep us
occupied. The bushes had ravaged our clothing to such an extent that
some of us were pretty ragged, and every halt was taken advantage of
to make much needed repairs.

It was nearly dark when Richards and Pete came back. They had reached
the high hill and from its summit saw, some distance to the westward,
long stretches of water reaching far away to the hills in that
direction. A portage of several miles in which some small lakes
occurred would take us, they said, into a large lake. Beyond this
they could not see.

Pete brought back with him a hatful of ripe currants which he stewed
and which proved a very welcome addition to our supper of corn-meal
mush.

The report of water ahead made us happy. It was now August twenty-
third. If we could reach Michikamau by September first that should
give me ample time, I believed, to reach the George River before the
caribou migration would take place.

The following morning we started forward with a will, and with many
little lakes to cross and short portages between them, we made fairly
good progress, and each lake took us one step higher on the plateau.