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CHAPTER V. FROM FORT RELIANCE TO FORT ENTERPRISE. I HE first fine days came at last. The green carpet of the j{^ hills began to appear here and there where the snow had melted. A few migratory birds from the south — such as swans, bald-headed eagles, &c. — passed through the warmer air. The poplars, birches, and willows began to bud, and the red- headed ducks, of which there are so many species in North America, to skim the surface of the numerous pools formed by the melted snow. Guillemots, puffins, and eider ducks sought colder latitudes ; and little shrews no bigger than a hazel-nut ventured from their holes, tracing strange figures on the ground with their tiny-pointed tails. It was intoxicating once more to breathe the fresh air of spring, and to bask in the sunbeams. Nature awoke once more from her heavy sleep in the long winter night, and smiled as she opened her eyes. The renovation of creation in spring is perhaps more impressive in the Arctic regions than in any other portion of the globe, on account of the greater contrast with what has gone before. The thaw was not, however, complete. The thermometer, it is true, marked 41° Fahrenheit above zero ; but the mean temperature of the nights kept the surface of the snowy plains solid — a good thing for the passage of sledges, of which Jaspar Hobson meant to avail himself before the thaw became complete. The ice of the lake was still unbroken. During the last month several successful hunting expeditions had been made across the vast smooth plains, which were already frequented by game. Mrs Barnett was astonished at the skill with which the men used their snow-shoes, scudding along at the pace of a horse in full gallop. Following Captain Craventy's advice, the lady herself practised walking in these contrivances, and she soon became very expert in sliding over the snow. During the last few da^s several bauds of Indians had arrived at