C Ihe Ladies c cu. V'VVAN - History and Classics, Department of

130 THE LADIES, THE GWICH'IN, AND THE RATForks of the Rat River.Sheep Creek flows in fromthe left, Loon Creek (RatRiver) from the centre(leading to McDougallPass), and Trout or FishCreek (~~an 's Fish River)from the right. n. d.Glenbow-Alberta Museum.it was solid as a cricket ball, she would cast it into the frying pan with a determinedgesture. The hot fat played its part and our sharp-set appetites did therest.The food chosen for us by our friends at Edmonton really made a goodbalanced diet but none the less we both craved at times for certain favouritedishes that now seemed like a dream. Sometimes in the middle of the night, whilewe were rubbing our wrists or knees with bicarbonate of soda, we would each inturn order our imaginary dinner. I would skip the fish and meat courses andorder a double P€che Melba, but Gwen would always murmur, in a sentimental,regretful tone: "And I would like a snipe just flown through the kitchen, all redand juicy." At any rate her "puftaloonas," cooked on one of our island camps,lasted us for several days and served to allay our epicurean longings for a changefrom camp food.Later that day we came to Fish River, issuing from the mountains on our right.At this point, the water was not navigable and we had to make a short portage overmuskeg and through willows in a shower of rain. Before launching the canoeagain, we lit a fire and had strong tea and pemmican, standing as usual in thesmoke of the fire while we ate and trying to get a little warmth to penetrate ourwet clothes. Lazarus was a master-hand at kindling fires, however wet the day andhowever rain-soaked his material might be. He would pluck up a short piece ofwood as thick as a man's thumb; this lighter would never be a crackling or brittletwig, it had to be old and weathered and hard. With his knife he would whittle