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
anything you have ever seen; nor could you imagine it possible to travel
in them if you had a pair now before you. The racket is a machine
consisting of a sort of net-work stretched upon ledges made of very hard
wood. They are about two feet and a half long, and fourteen inches
broad; and in the middle is fitted a kind of shoe, lined with wool or
hair, which is tied on to the ankle. By means of these strange snow-
shoes, the feet are prevented from sinking into the soft, deep snow.
Even the Indians, shod in this fashion, occasionally meet with heavy
falls, especially when descending very steep hills; and a foreigner
feels terribly awkward and at a loss when first he attempts to use them.
Pages:
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29