Just as they were turning in for the night it began to snow. It came down in little round, stinging pellets, and Ben said this was the sign of a big storm.
Later, when they were warmly blanketed in the bunk, Ed turned to George and said: “I believe we shall be mixed up with that band of wild dogs before we leave here.”
“I’ve been thinking the same thing,” said George.
X
WINTER SETTLES DOWN
When the storm ceased two days later the lads looked out on a new landscape. The glistening white mantle of winter covered the earth. The evergreens were decorated with little puffs of snow, and the cabin itself was half buried in a huge drift. Everything was white and dazzling—lake, mountains, trees, and cabin. It seemed to the boys that they had stepped into fairyland. They might have easily imagined themselves in the Arctic.
THE WHITE MANTLE OF WINTER COVERED THE EARTH
Ben brought forth two pairs of snowshoes and explained how to fasten them on. Then he donned a pair himself and tramped slowly back and forth, so the boys could see how he used his feet and legs to manipulate the awkward “webs.”
Ed and George started bravely out over the deep snow; but, unused to the queer shoes as they were, they quickly placed one foot on top of the other and went head first into the soft, powdery drifts. Ben shook with laughter as they floundered about in their efforts to rise. They soon learned to keep their feet far apart, and before long they were running over the snow like old-timers.